The Middle Ground
by SkItZoFrEaK
Summary: If she lets him get too far away, she'll lose him. If he lets her in too close, he'll be skewered. Their best bet is somewhere in the middle ground. Shino. Tenten. Rated for violence and some language.
1. Mission Statement

_Notes_: Happens a couple years down the line – the gang is late teens. Also, I have seen Shino's bugs called many names, depending on the translation (kikai, kikaichu, kikkai, destruction beetles, etc). I went with "kikkai." Also, I don't do –san and –kun or other suffixes, largely because they confuse me, partially because I am not writing in Japanese.

_Goals_: A good fight scene, a plausible line of reasoning for how Tenten would fight Shino, in character (for more specifics on what exactly I mean by that, please see my profile notes for this story), and of course, general coherency

_Warnings_: No spoilers yet. Some violence. This is a rough draft, so a little unpolished.

* * *

Chapter One

Mission Statement

"I bet I can take you."

He looked over at her, or at least turned his head in her general direction. It was hard to tell, what with the reflective glasses, high collar, and low hood, exactly where Aburame Shino was looking most of the time. But Tenten was definitely getting a 'looked-at' kind of feeling.

"I mean, sure you're a jounin and I'm only a chunin," she wiggled her fingers at him casually, "and I would have to catch you off guard to do it. But I bet I can take you."

Shino didn't seem inclined to respond, but Tenten didn't mind. It had been kind of a random thing to say to a guy you barely knew, after all. But heck, they'd been camped out in these hills for almost three whole days now, and she'd given up on small talk almost as soon as they'd left Konoha. All overtures of pleasant chit chat had been met with noncommittal noises or short, efficient statements. So Tenten had stuck to mission-related conversation, like "the perimeter is secure," "target acquired, I'm tracking," and "I'll take first watch tonight."

She'd never really liked spying missions, especially the kind where she was really only there for backup in the event things went wrong. So far, things were going obnoxiously well. Shino's kikkai had located the target some five hours into the countryside. The target was apparently unaware of the surveillance, and had no identifiable support in the area. He was meeting various underground runners and hitmen, trying to network himself in with the local crime bosses. The man himself was a low-level gangster, a mild threat at best. The three crime bosses he was trying to unite in a powerful syndicate of evil (or whatever; Tenten personally thought the target was kind of an idiot) were all top-notch villains. Fortunately, they currently seemed disinclined to join forces, and so the mission stayed relatively uneventful. And boring.

So while Shino observed the target, Tenten amused herself by observing Shino. It didn't take long to form some very interesting conclusions.

One, Aburame Shino preferred subtle, twisty little maneuvers over flashy moves. Two, he could control insects that were not his personal hive of kikkai only so long as they were within a certain range, and then only for short periods of time.

And three, she could so totally take him. So, being bored, honest, and Tenten, she had told him so.

The surprising part was that he answered. "How?"

Tenten opened her mouth to reply, then closed it and held her breath as something creaked out in the darkness of the trees around them. She concentrated for a moment, pulling a small amount of chakra up to her ears to sensitize her hearing. "We are currently secure," Shino remarked, and she relaxed. "I have several kikkai throughout the surrounding area."

Tenten drew a rough circle in the dirt with her toe, with an X in the center. "Like this, with you at the middle?"

He nodded. She made a little triangle on the circle's edge with one finger. "And if one of them detects something, for example, over here?" She tried to keep her voice only mildly curious, but he must have heard the leading edge in it because he merely looked at her (in that might-not-be-looking-but-probably-is sort of way again) for a long moment.

"If I determined it to be a threat," he said, "I would attack with the rest of them."

"That's how I'd win," she smiled. "Element of surprise." Tenten flicked her fingers towards him as if throwing a handful of invisible senbon needles. "Get your bugs distracted by something they view as a threat, then draw them away far enough until you were forced to physically follow yourself." She drew another circle in the dirt, this time centered on the triangle, with the X barely on the edge farthest from the triangle. "So your focus would move this direction, and the sentry bugs behind you would be thinner and closer to your body on the opposite side."

"Close enough to allow an accurate long-range fighter to get a shot at me," he finished for her. She wrinkled her nose at him, a little disappointed that he had stolen her thunder so easily. In fact, he didn't sound even slightly surprised or concerned as she pointed out his potential downfall.

"That's the plan."

"That shot would have to be a killing blow," Shino told her. "Once I knew your true direction, you would be unable to get near me again."

She sniffed at him good naturedly. "True direction? What makes you think I'd sit around and wait for you to counterattack?"

"You would not. But I would only need to know your general direction for a moment. Then it would be relatively easy to send out a handful of female kikkai to locate you, and once you had one of them on you, there would be no hiding."

"Sure, but that wouldn't do you any good if the first blow was a killer, and I am a very good shot, you know."

He shrugged again. "It would not be a killing blow."

Oddly enough, Tenten didn't feel particularly angry at this announcement. Shino had an odd way of saying things that ought to have been insulting but merely came out sounding like fact. "What, you're just too sexy for knives to touch or something?"

Okay, maybe she was a little tetchy. How could he possibly be so sure she would miss him?

"You would miss," Shino went on doggedly, as if her petty little retort had sailed right over him, "because your attack was based on the assumption that I wouldn't see it coming."

"But you already agreed that your bugs would be thinner from the opposing side of the fake threat," Tenten pointed out. "And that I'd be able to get close enough to target you from that angle."

He nodded his head once in acquiescence. "However, I did not say that I wouldn't be aware of you. I don't need you to be in close physical proximity with a kikkai to sense your presence."

"I could be targeting you from almost a hundred feet away." Tenten felt impressed despite herself. "Your range is that good?"

He shrugged. "There are other eyes in the forest," was all he said. "Just because my kikkai are primarily concerned with something in one direction doesn't mean I must totally shut myself off from the other directions."

"But you can't work through other bugs as easily as your kikkai," Tenten leaned forward eagerly. "And it wears you out faster. So all I'd have to do is keep you sufficiently occupied with the distraction until you're too tired to communicate with the other bugs. Or, if possible, force you out of the trees and somewhere less friendly to insects."

"Such as?"

Tenten pointed a finger to the west, towards the faint sound of distant running water. "River," she said triumphantly.

Shino seemed to ponder this for awhile. "It is unlikely that you would be able to drive me into such an environment without revealing yourself," he said at last.

"Maybe that first shot wasn't the killing blow – maybe it was just a way to get your attention on me, so I could lead you to the river."

"The river is narrow, and there are several rotting logs along it's shore."

"Where bugs like to hang out, I know. But," she held up a hand and started ticking her fingers off with each point. "One, I know that summoning and controlling other bugs wears you out – don't argue, I've had nothing to do for days but watch you work, so I know I'm right – two, you also seem to have a general aversion to water, so getting you out of your comfort zone could only be to my advantage, and three, about a mile south of here, that river turns into a lake. A wide lake, with very few trees along the shore line." She grinned and smacked a fist into an open palm for emphasis. "Sterile arena."

"Another assumption," Shino leaned back against the tree behind him, uncrossing his legs and crooking one knee up in front of him. "I would never allow you to get as far as the lake, because I know that the area would be unfavorable."

"Yeah, but the only way you could stop me would be to catch me with your kikkai. And I'm pretty confident I could avoid them if I kept a decent amount of distance between us."

"Are you?" If his voice had sounded even slightly amused or patronizing, Tenten might have actually attempted to attack her mission partner right then and there. But he merely sounded interested, as if he had no idea whether or not she could pull off such a feat and wanted to know.

"Like I said, if I kept the fight long range, you would never have a chance to direct one or any kikkai at me without me seeing it coming. And so long as I saw it, I could stop it." He raised a questioning eyebrow, but Tenten wiggled a reproving finger at him. "Uh uh. Like I'd tell you that! But trust me, I'm pretty confident I could stop a small amount of kikkai, and avoid a large swarm."

"Then let us assume that I have allowed you to lure me out onto the lake. Then what?" He folded his arms across his chest, looking completely at ease in the flickering light of their fire. "Making me uncomfortable is a long way from defeating me."

"My original principle still stands," Tenten declared, pulling out a kunai and flipping it absently in her hand. "It's in my best interest to finish any fight against you as quickly as I can. Unfortunately, out in the open would be too hard to hit you long range, so I'd have to make it close-quarters combat."

"And my kikkai would overwhelm you long before you got close enough to deal damage."

"Maybe," she shook her head. "Maybe not. It would come down to speed, at that point. If I were faster than you, I could get in past your shields and land a finishing blow."

"How fast are you?" Shino asked.

"Very," Tenten answered. "For example -"

Her hand flashed out, and the kunai she had been toying with blurred and vanished into the trees to the right of their camp. A heartbeat later, the exploding tag she had quietly attached to it detonated with an echoing _boom!_ Tenten and Shino were already on their feet and halfway up the trees on the opposite side of the camp as the fiery mushroom cloud blossoming between the trees lit up the night beyond their campfire.

A dark body plunged out of the burning trees and into their abandoned campsite. He stumbled across the ground, then regained his feet fast enough to avoid the dozen shuriken that buried themselves in a neat row at his feet. The stranger looked up long enough for Tenten to get a good look at his features in the last fading light of the explosion. It was the target.

"I knew there were two of you," he yelled into the trees, then launched himself up towards them. "You've been following me!"

"Busted," Tenten called cheerfully across to Shino. A black cloud of kikkai swirled up and knocked away a smoke bomb before it could explode in their faces. Tenten took the opportunity to leap to a taller tree – victory often went to the one with the high ground, after all – and took a small scroll from her hip pouch. Finally, a little action!

But when the dark purple smoke cleared, the enemy was gone.

Tenten reached out with her senses, feeling for the man's chakra. For a brief second she marked him right and below – and then the signature vanished. Crap. He must have some kind of concealing technique. She swung her senses a little further and marked Shino's chakra signature somewhere to the left. But even as she turned towards him, she felt his energy surge and...dissipate. What the - ?

A little black spot on her sleeve drew her attention. Ah, she thought. The kikkai. He's hiding his chakra by dispersing it with the kikkai all over the freaking forest.

Which meant her whole hypothetical plan to defeat him was more or less moot. Never mind sneaking up on him – she'd never be able to _find_ him.

Something heavy embedded itself in the wood near her foot with a muted _thunk_, and Tenten leaped away from the thrown kunai. Tenten took that as a sign that now was a good time to think about defeating her enemy. She could think about defeating her ally later.

Flipping around in midair, she unfurled the scroll and sent a line of spiked metal balls back along the enemy kunai's trajectory. The little metal projectiles smashed through several trees branches, crushed a couple trunks, and finally fell down to the earth below with a series of crunches. It was an impressive display of area damage; but her enemy was unfortunately not among the wreckage. Quick little bastard.

Tenten pondered the situation as she followed the little black kikkai that Shino had apparently sent her. The opponent was fast, so slow-moving area bombs weren't going to get him anytime soon. But it was so dark that she'd be unable to visually pinpoint him with a bladed weapon, and without a strong chakra signature to target, she was throwing daggers at shadows.

Another kunai flew by her head, then a third. Unable to find Shino, the jerk was apparently targeting her instead. Well, at least he was practically feeding her ammunition, so she didn't have to waste her own weapons on potshots in the dark. She caught the fourth kunai and flung it back, with an added exploding tag to express her gratitude. The fireball lit up the area for a few precious seconds, but he was nowhere in sight.

"I can't get a lock on his chakra," Shino's voice murmured from behind her. "I need something else to draw the kikkai."

A dim red glow above her caught her eye, and she launched herself forward, turning to face upward as her body moved forward, and threw a steady stream of shuriken towards the faint light. The shuriken whirred through the empty air, but before they would lose momentum and fall uselessly to the ground, she flexed her fingers. The thin wires attached to each weapon flexed with her joints, and redirected the shuriken to arc in several directions at once. A thin stream of chakra in each wire allowed her to feel when each shuriken struck wood and stopped moving. None of them hit flesh. Damn. Lost him again. She flexed with her hands one last time and pulled her shuriken back towards herself, catching them between her outstretched fingers. Tenten tucked the shuriken back into her pouch as she landed neatly on a branch. No use losing a dozen good weapons.

Shino appeared suddenly at her side, grabbed her arm, and yanked her towards him. She tucked and rolled her shoulder, using him as a pivot point to swing up and away from the four strange-looking blades that flew in tight formation right through the space she had been occupying. The blades glowed a dull red with a foreign chakra, then shattered into dull, glassy fragments as the chakra faded. She wasn't sure what exactly they were, but Tenten bet they would have hurt.

Her body reached the peak of Shino's swing range, and he let go. Tenten sailed through the trees, flipped, and pushed off a trunk back towards her partner. He was already gone from sight, but a handful of kikkai wound around her wrist, tugging her briefly towards the left. Then the bugs scattered back into the darkness. "Got it," she breathed, hoping the bugs would hear without the enemy picking up on the sound. She pushed through the forest in the direction Shino had showed her, jumping lower and lower until she hit the ground running. She didn't bother trying to hide her footsteps or her chakra signature.

A second later, the enemy took the bait. Tenten heard the faint rustle of wind in his clothes as he ran along the trees above her. She focused her chakra and blocked out the sounds of her own movement – careful now, focus, focus, only need him for a second –_ there!_

She jumped, twisted, and flicked a wrist. In the dark, the kunai gleamed like a shooting star as it streaked towards the opponent. He saw the gleam coming and dodged – straight into the pitch-darkened senbon she'd thrown so fast it almost seemed to be the same movement. The needle buried itself in his left hand, and Tenten allowed herself a small smile of triumph.

A hail of the odd glowing red blades cascaded down towards her, and for a few moments Tenten had no time for anything but dodging. One, two, three, four, just like last time -

Five! Too late to dodge; she threw up an arm to block -

The blade plunged into a black sphere of kikkai that appeared in front of her. The bugs buzzed angrily, swarming around the glowing blade, and then seemed to collapse in on it, shattering it like glass.

Above her, a man screamed. Tenten landed back on the ground, skidding a little in the loose dirt. She crouched, summoning a chain-mace and whirling the heavy weighted end. But nothing dropped out of the trees to attack her.

"It's over," Shino said quietly from her elbow. Behind him, a swarm of kikkai seemed to melt away from a dark, unmoving object. The bugs twisted into long tendrils that undulated and withdrew back into Shino's heavily-cloaked body. Tenten eyed the corpse of their opponent for a second, then sighed.

"So I take it that worked, then?"

He nodded. "The kikkai were able to target the blood from his injury. I found him with little difficulty."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, sorry I didn't do more."

"You kept him occupied, and you marked him for me. That was sufficient."

"You did a good job too," Tenten said wryly. "At least he won't be forming any big-scale crime syndicates now," she sighed, stretching her neck. "So. Home?"

"This mission is over."

"I'll say it is," she looked back once more at the corpse, then turned away.

***

"Hey, Shino…race you home!"

***

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AN: Was it too long? Too wordy? Meet any of my stated goals? Make any _sense_?


	2. In Theory, In Practise

_Notes_: In the manga, Shino tends to preface his few lines with questions. It's such an ingrained habit pattern that Naruto pings on it in the time skip, recognizing Shino not by appearance but by his "annoying way of talking." I tried to be true to that characterization without getting obnoxious. The best part of this whole chapter is Lee and his Poses of Truth, Beauty, and the Shinobi Way.

_Goals_: Same as Chapter 1. I'll try Shino's POV next chapter

_Warnings_: No spoilers yet (except for Shino's clothes, I think). Some violence. And Tenten's terrible joke. You'll know it when you see it.

Chapter Two

In Theory, In Practice

"The lake was an excellent idea," Lee told her, pumping a fist and striking Pose Number 3: You Can Do It! "It is the environment least likely to be in his favor. Ah, my clever teammate!"

"On the other hand," Neji remarked, "Once on the lake, you couldn't keep the battle at long range or he would escape."

"Yeah," Tenten nodded. "So it would pretty much have to be close-range, and if I didn't finish it in the first move, the bugs would eat all my chakra and I'd be dead in the water." She paused, then snorted. "And I can't believe I just said that. What an awful pun."

Lee laughed loudly and gave her a thumbs-up. "Nonsense! I found it extremely hilarious and witty. You have a wonderful sense of humor!"

"On the contrary," Neji shook his head. "Her jokes just get worse with the years."

She stuck her tongue out at the Hyuuga's back. "Thanks for the brutal honesty, Neji."

"That is my accepted role in this team," he informed her wryly.

"Neji is always so cool-headed," Lee rose from where the team had been taking a short break in the training field from their usual grueling sessions and struck Pose Number 8: Time for Training! "But I know just how to rouse the passion of youth and vigor in him!"

Tenten rolled her eyes at Neji. "You know, it's possible that there's a reason my jokes just keep getting worse as we get older," she muttered. "Just look at the material I'm given."

"You realize that if any other man uttered those words to me," Neji scowled at Lee, "I would destroy them."  
But Lee was already halfway across the field and utterly oblivious to the mild threat. "Come, my eternal rival," he yelled cheerfully back over his shoulder. "Let's put some of Tenten's brilliant theories to the test! You and I will act as Aburame Shino, and Tenten can prove the strength and versatility of her strategy!" His voice faded as Lee jumped and vanished into the trees surrounding the field.

"There is no need for us to pretend to be the Aburame," Neji replied, standing and brushing the grass from his sweat-soaked clothes.

"But my strategy wasn't designed for you and Lee," Tenten remarked, stretching her arms over her head. "Plus, I'm kinda curious how Lee plans to mimic Shino's fighting style. So why not?"

"Because you will get better training from fighting the real thing. He is here," Neji gestured to something behind his left shoulder without turning his head. Tenten stood on her tiptoes to see over her teammate, and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Shino? What are you doing here?"

The insect master stood a few feet away from where Team Gai had been resting, hands in pockets and face as heavily hidden as ever. He didn't seem inclined to respond to Tenten's question, but before she could ask again, Neji turned around and nodded to the Aburame. "Lee and I will be working on evasion in the next field," he said, then walked past Tenten in the general direction Lee had disappeared. "Tell us how it goes," he murmured to Tenten as he passed her, low enough that Shino (probably) couldn't hear.

Tenten sighed good-naturedly. "Some teammates _they_ are," she told the silent man standing opposite of her. "Abandoned in the name of curiosity."

He shrugged. Tenten waited a moment, then opened her mouth to say something, anything, to fill the slightly uncomfortable silence.

But Shino beat her to it. "Why would I come here? I knew you were training, and I wanted to see if you meant any of those words you said."

Tenten's jaw dropped again, just a little, but she managed to catch it and compose her face. "You really want to fight me?"

"I was under the impression that _you_ really wanted to fight _me_."

"Oh yeah?" Tenten folded her arms with a smirk. "And you know this…how?"

"Hinata spoke with Neji this morning. You told him about our hypothetical match."

"Yeah, I did. I was just giving them the details, actually," she waved a hand vaguely in the direction her teammates had gone. "They didn't really get a chance to say what they thought of it though." Then she realized what Shino had said. "Hold on a second – you think I deliberately told Neji about it, knowing he would tell Hinata, who would tell you, which would be a sort of crazy sideways sort of challenge?"

He inclined his head towards her slightly. "One could consider things that way."

She laughed. "I think you're giving me too much credit. I'm not nearly that subtle." Tenten put her hands on her hips. "If I wanted to fight you, Aburame," she continued matter-of-factly. "I would just walk up to you and punch your lights out."

"Ah," he replied. "I see."

He turned and walked back towards the trees. He'd made it a full three feet when she landed a vicious uppercut to his jaw. Said jaw crumbled under the force of the blow, and a cascade of tiny, dark bodies poured down and over her hand. She swore and jerked it back as hard as she could to fling the kikkai from her skin before any could latch on and mark her as a target.

"You are remarkably honest for a shinobi," a deep voice said from behind her.

"I don't _believe _you!" Tenten spun and flipped smoothly, putting as much distance between them as she could while reaching for her scrolls. "You sent a bug clone into the field to challenge me to a fight?"

"What was the first thing you said when you told me that you were capable of defeating me? You needed your first blow to be a surprise. Thus, I anticipated your first blow with a clone."

He was somewhere in the trees to the south, but his voice was moving, so she had to hurry if she wanted to get around the clearing and to his path before she lost tabs on him. Keep him talking, she thought. Get a fix on him!

She pulled the edge of her weapon scroll out far enough to wrap loosely around her arm, giving her both freedom of movement and access to the multiple seals within. She sliced her thumb neatly on the paper's sharp edge and spattered a single drop on the page as she raced through the trees in the direction of Shino's voice. "Why do you always ask a question," she yelled, focusing her chakra and feeling the smooth grip of a fuuma shuriken appear in her fingers, "right before you give the answer?"

"I believe in clarity."

Something small and dark brushed across the corner of her vision, and she flicked a finger. A senbon needle shot through the air and pinned the kikkai bug to the ground as neatly as an entomologist pinning a butterfly to a display board. Tenten's eyes registered the hit even as her mind was already calculating the reverse trajectory of the insect in conjunction with the sound of his voice. There!

"Then how come no one ever seems to know what you're talking about?" She laughed, calling up a giant manriki and sending it flying into the branches. The heavy weight on the end of the six-foot spiked chain crunched into the space were Shino's head had been only a breath before, and sent a cloud of splinters flying into the air. She saw a dark blur as he slid behind another tree trunk, but the fuuma shuriken was already leaving her outstretched hand and sailing in a perfect arc around the trunk towards his neck.

The huge shuriken hit with a loud _clunk_ and a puff of smoke, and then tumbled to the earth below embedded in the replacement log he had used. Tenten scowled – she only had a handful of fuuma shuriken, and the serrated edges were hard to sharpen -

_ - hand three inches from her face, a swarm of black racing for her left eyeball -  
_

She jumped back and twisted from the hips and shoulders, whirling the chain of the manriki into a sort of shield. The spinning chain links chewed up the small kikkai cloud and scattered the bugs back towards Shino. "Hey, maybe I should start wearing shades when I fight!" she shouted. "That was almost my eye!"

His reply sounded amused, and just a little bit self-satisfied. "I have always appreciated them."

He was four feet away, in midair, halfway through a jump. Tenten twisted her hips again, using the momentum of the chain to swing herself into his path. She lashed out with the weighted chain with her right hand and unsealed a smaller weapon scroll with her left. Another cloud of kikkai swirled into shape below Shino's right foot, and he pushed off in a totally different direction, up and left to avoid the swinging chain. The weight caught on a branch and twined itself hopelessly around the wood, but Tenten used the tension to change her own trajectory, following him up higher into the treetops, hounding him. She dropped the manriki just before it pulled her up short and flipped upside down in the air, still flying towards him.

She opened the second scroll with a practiced snap and sent a hail of projectiles at him, but several whip-like formations of kikkai shot up between them and slapped away the blades. Tenten tugged on the wires around each projectile, and they danced on her fingers back towards him. She cut them free before they hit Shino, though - no need to give his bugs a direct path back to her hands. Even as she dropped the wires, she twisted again in midair, tapping the tree branch above his head with one foot to redirect her jump down towards him. Shino's attention was focused on the multiple projectiles, his kikkai dancing around him, knocking the blades away. Tenten pulled a kunai from her pouch and went for the kill.

Without looking up, Shino pointed a hand directly at her throat. Tenten threw her body weight to the side to avoid the sharp black spike of bugs that lanced towards her. Unfortunately, the move forced her to lose sight of him for a precious second, and by the time she had turned back around, he was gone.

So he wouldn't let her fight him at close-range. That was probably a blessing for them both, because while her taijutsu was likely to be superior, close range made it easier for his chakra devouring bugs to swarm her. She usually preferred long-range combat anyway, but in this case she would have trouble keeping track of him while simultaneously watching for any stray bugs in her hair, clothes, or general vicinity. Crap. Where was the Byakugen when you really freaking needed it?

Even as she thought all this Tenten was moving, replacing the kunai with a bundle of wired needles and exploding tags. She wasn't as good of a tracker as Shino – so rather than waste time trying to figure out where he was, she would simply reduce the number of places he could be without her knowing. She flew through the trees, pinning wires, tags, and loaded senbon in a series of complicated traps until the surrounding area resembled some sort of insanely deadly spider web. Hah, she thought, grinning to herself. Hope he appreciates the irony.

BOOM!

Tenten felt the air shifting as one of her exploding tags went off a few hundred feet behind her. Instantly she swung back in the direction she had come, moving carefully to avoid her own traps. That tag had been lower, and deeper in the bushes than the others. He must be moving along the ground, she realized. She swerved sharply away from the trap and up higher into the trees, then starting circling around the tree trunk above the detonated trap. The remnants of the trap still smoldered gently on the forest floor, but there was no tall, dark, grumpy-looking shinobi in sight. Tenten did a quick scan of her skin, checking for any bugs. Nope, she was clean. No bugs in her general vicinity as far as she could tell, either.

So then where –

"Here," a voice said an inch from her ear. She spun, kunai in hand and scroll already unfurling in the other, but even as she knew she was too late. Something dark and oddly tingly was furling around her ankles – where the hell had those come from?

Then the wood under her feet seemed to disappear, and as Tenten plunged down towards the ground she caught sight of the entire branch she had been perched on dissolving into a cloud of bugs...

Even with her feet practically tied together by the glittering little kikkai, Tenten managed to land relatively gracefully on her toes. She promptly spoiled the effect by slamming to her hands and knees a second later. Son of a bitch, she thought, half angry and half awed. He disguised a million of the little suckers into a whole tree branch.

She rolled onto her back and then up into a sitting position as he landed a few feet away and strolled towards her, hands in his pockets like he was just out enjoying the sunshine. Which was unlikely, given the amount of trouble he took to avoid direct contact with it.

"Okay," she said as he stopped in front of her. "How did you know I would land on it?"

"How many paths did you leave for yourself among all the traps?" He pointed out. "You left several safe zones through the traps, probably because you anticipated coming back through them. Thus, all I had to do was trap your paths."

She frowned and sighed. "And then you set a trap off in the general area you wanted me to come back to, and waited while I walked right into it like a dummy."

Shino squatted down on his heels until their faces were almost level. "No."

"No?"

"I didn't see it until I was almost in it." He shrugged. "It was well hidden, but you set it too sensitive. I wasn't close enough for it to catch me when it triggered."

"Wait, wait," Tenten held up her (still bug-bound) hands. "You mean you actually walked into one of my traps but since it went off early, you _dodged_ it?"

He nodded, and Tenten snickered. "Wow," she said after a moment. "I think that's the first time a _guy_'s ever told _me_ I had a problem with premature detonation."

He stared at her completely innocent face. And then he jerked abruptly to his feet and turned away, the bugs finally dropping away from her ankles and wrists. Tenten jumped to her feet. "Hey, hold it right there, Aburame," she laughed, reaching to grab his sleeve. He let her snag the fabric of his overcoat in her fingers and tug him to a stop, but he did not turn towards her. "Is that a blush I see?" She peered up at his face - wow, he was a lot taller than she had thought. The guy had to be over six feet, easy. Funny, she hadn't really noticed until she was up this close.

"Not likely," he muttered darkly, and true enough, what she could see of his face looked perfectly composed now. But she was willing to bet a handful of her good shuriken that his skin had been at least a little pink a moment ago.

"Whatever you say," she replied peacefully, letting go of his coat and falling into step with him as he paced steadily back out of the trees. "Just for the record," Tenten informed him as they exited the training ground. "I'm counting this as a victory."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You were totally running away there at the end."

He glanced at her. "I had you helpless on the ground," he said evenly. "Then I let you go. The quality of your humor hardly counts as a viable attack."

"On the contrary," she shot back, "anything that makes the enemy retreat counts as a viable attack, and there is no way you will ever convince me that you were not retreating. Sheesh," Tenten rolled her eyes. "Guys like Sai can walk around making penis jokes and Naruto can be as gross as humanly possible and no one says a word, but a girl makes one little innuendo and everyone gets all wierded out."

"I am not everyone," Shino told her.

"Yeah," she nodded absently. "I know."

**

"So. Rematch?"

**

* * *

AN: Yeah, I'm terrible. And I think next chapter will actually have character development. Because that could be fun.


	3. Origins

_Notes_: Tried to get into Shino's head. Not an easy task - I don't think he likes it much. A little speculation on how I imagine the bug-infusion thing must go among the Aburame, and maybe even a hint of how Shino might feel about it in general. I've got some ideas about hwo big the clan might actually be (in the fillers, they appeared to be a pretty large clan). Also, yes, I totally stole the Konoha Shuffle from "Lucky Number Slevin," which is a weird and awesome movie.

_Goals_: To make Shino's point of view credible, and potentially inject a little plot.

_Warnings_: Screaming infants. Kiba's mouth.

Chapter Three

Origins

"The what?"

"The Konoha Shuffle," she repeated, her voice drifting to him through the trees from three directions at once. Hm, shadow clones then, keeping him from pinpointing her location by backtracking the sound. "It's when you look _left_," the branch exploded three inches from his left ear – or where his left ear would have been if he had not sensed the impending shock wave and leaped forward from his perch - "And I go _right._" Something whistled past his left cheek (an edge so keen he actually felt the air parting around it as it skimmed just a butterfly's breath from his skin – you had to admire a woman who kept her kunai that sharp).

But the kikkai had sensed her presence a moment before she spoke and he was already moving, twisting in midair and calling the bugs he'd left in reserve around the base of the tree. They flowed up, around, back along the path of the thrown knife. He smirked as, five feet below him, Tenten cursed with a tongue almost as sharp as her weaponry.

Shino landed on the ground a few feet from his bug-trap and walked around the tree trunk, hands in pockets. A _citheronia regalis_ fluttered gold-brown wings against the bark, and Shino mentally marked the location. The insect had an impressive four-inch wingspan, and they only hatched one generation a year. If there was one here, there were probably more still in larval stage around -

"It's a pretty butterfly," Tenten said from directly above him. Shino jumped back, arms crossed before his face to block the minor blast of the exploding note she'd dropped down on him.

"Moth," his bug clone corrected as the smoke cleared. From his hiding spot a few feet to the side, Shino mentally double checked the insect - it was fine, already drifting away on the warm air currents from the bomb. She had probably thrown it deliberately away from the tree trunk to avoid killing it.

He wondered briefly if that was for his benefit, and then she was on him. "I'm not falling for the bug clone," she called, slamming a three-part staff into the ground almost on his head. He had to admit, her taijutsu was exceptionally good. No movement was wasted, and it was near impossible to read her next move.

He let the bug clone collapse and called the kikkai back to himself, feeling half of them land on his hands and arms as the other half rose up to shield him from the staff. He wound the shield around the end of the staff to hold her still for the half-second of time that he needed. She twisted and jumped, wrenching her staff free and swinging the end back at his head in the same motion. A difficult move, but too late. He had gathered the necessary chakra, and was already raising his arms, palms out. The kikkai surged off his skin and up towards her, dividing neatly around the descending wood of the staff and reforming into a solid object as they aimed for her face. He had time to catch a glimpse of her expression as she registered the kikkai sailing towards her, and the fact that she could not reverse her forward momentum in time to avoid or block the blow. Shino, who was on the ground and thus capable of changing his direction, stepped quickly to the left to avoid the staff.

Something heavy slammed into the top of his right shoulder, driving him down to his knees with the force of it. Pain shot through his shoulder, chest, and right arm, so intense that his vision grayed-out for a moment. The hive-link kicked in instantly, and through a million eyes, he watched Tenten impact the ground a foot or so from where he knelt, clutching her ribs with one arm and her shattered staff with the other.

She'd changed her momentum in midair.

How had she done that?

The gray cleared from his vision as the pain from the blow settled into a dull throb. He reached up with his good arm and felt the injury. Nothing felt broken or dislocated, but he'd be feeling this one for quite some time to come.

Tenten groaned and rolled to her knees opposite him. She lifted her head and grinned weakly at him. "Well, that hurt like a bitch."

"Hm."

"You ready to give up, or you want some more?"

"I am hardly incapacitated."

"Me either." She sighed and got to her feet. "But I've got a mission in an hour, and I probably shouldn't show up for it with more than a few serious injuries." She held out a hand to him. "Rain check?"

Shino stared at the hand in front of his face. The kikkai were still roaming freely across the outer surface of his skin all along his hands, both of which were in plain view. There was simply no way she did not see them. Was this a test then? Or some kind of statement?

"Hey, I didn't hit your head, did I?" He looked up at her, but her face only showed mild concern. She was either a very good actress, or she really had no idea what exactly she was offering him.

He let the kikkai stay prominently visible on his coat and face as he reached out to take her hand.

Tenten tugged his good arm, helping to pull him to his feet, and then dropped his hand as casually as she'd taken it. "I think we can call this one a draw, for now," she told him, stretching her torso carefully. "But I'll be back to finish it in a couple weeks."

Shino inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"Looking forward to it," Tenten smiled and waved back over her shoulder as she walked out of the training area.

"Yes," he told the now-empty forest.

* * *

The infant slept peacefully on the small dais, only whimpering slightly as her father unwound the layers of blankets from her tiny body. The chilly air had to be uncomfortable to the newborn's exposed skin, but she was too heavily sedated to protest. The child was healthy, an acceptable weight limit, and her mother's bloodstock had been deemed compatible with Aburame blood. It was therefore highly likely, Shino knew, that she would survive the infusion.

Of course, there was always the possibility that she would not. Sometimes even the child of two Aburame clanlines was rejected by the hive. It happened.

The baby's father removed the final blanket and set it to the side. The man was a distant cousin of Shino's, a son of the smallest branch of the Aburame clans, and not very high in the hierarchy. A chunin level shinobi with a respectable reputation. This was his first child. Shino watched him carefully, but his shielded face was calm. He was unlikely to attempt to interfere with the infusion. All the same, rules were rules, and after the baby was unwrapped and sedated, her father stepped back. Two of his clansmen moved to either side of him, hands outstretched to summon their own hives should the man lose control.

Shino's father placed a hand on the infant's head as the rest of the clansmen present waited respectfully.

Aburame Shibi nodded to his son. "She is ready."

Shino stepped forward, focusing his mind and summoning his kikkai. They poured from his hands and arms, swarming around the child protectively. Shino focused his attention on her small, squashed baby-face, knowing that his concentration could mean the difference between her life or death.

Shino's aunt, Masuyo, was the infuser for this ceremony. She also stepped forward, holding in her hands the precious young kikkai queen. Shino's kikkai parted around his aunt, then closed behind her again as the woman reached out for the child. This was the delicate part - the infuser would offer the kikkai queen to the child, or perhaps, offer the child to the queen. If the queen rejected the child's body as a suitable vessel, it would likely kill her. If the child's body rejected the queen, like an injured body would sometimes reject a transplanted organ, then the carefully bred kikkai queen would die and the clan would lose a valuable and rare resource. In the worst case scenario, both the baby and the queen would kill each other.

It was Shino's job to try and prevent any of these scenarios from happening. If one rejected the other, hopefully he would be able to use his own kikkai to save the baby and the queen.

Masuyo laid the queen on the baby's bare chest, over the heart. The little blue and green insect sat for a moment on the pink skin, then she began to burrow. The baby stirred, whimpered, and then began to cry. The cries grew louder and more frantic as the kikkai broke the skin and began to dig down through the muscles.

Behind him, Shino sensed the father shifting, but he could not afford to waste any attention on the man. That was what his clansmen were for, anyway.

The baby began to scream. The kikkai queen was almost out of sight now. A wide streak of blood welled up from the hole in her chest and oozed down across her side, pooling on the table beneath her. The baby's tiny arms flailed for a moment, then she seemed to coil in on herself, as if she were desperately trying to curl up into a little ball. Her screams escalated unbearably high.

Shino readied his kikkai; damn, she was rejecting the queen…

Abruptly, the screaming stopped. The baby's body seemed to jerk, then relaxed.

Quickly, Masuyo placed a glowing hand over the bleeding hole in the child's body. The flesh knitted together smoothly beneath her fingers. Masuyo rubbed her hand soothingly over the small chest, then looked up at Shino's father. "It is done," she said. "They are joined."

Shibi nodded, and Shino's kikkai flowed back into his arms, burrowing back into the warmth of his flesh through the skin. Behind him, the baby's father pushed past his two guards and reached for his daughter. He bowed to the Aburame leader. "I present my daughter to you," he said formally, and the even tone of his voice was belied by the tender way he gathered the baby up in his arms and cradled her close. "Her name is Tamiko."

"Aburame Tamiko," Shibi replied. "She is welcome among us."

The father bowed again and then turned sharply on his heel, walking out the door. His clansmen bowed respectfully to Shibi, then followed.

"She accepted the queen quickly," Masuyo commented to her brother when they had gone.

"She will be an asset to the clan," Shibi agreed.

"Your son also did well as moderator," Masuyo nodded at Shino approvingly. "This was the first infusion you have stood for, was it not?"

Shino shoved his hands back in his pockets. "Yes, Aunt."

"Well done," Shibi told him calmly. "You are dismissed."

It wasn't that the ceremony had bothered him, really, Shino thought to himself as he left the Aburame compound. He had seen infusions before. Never from quite so close an angle, of course, and never in a position of responsibility. He realized suddenly that a handful of his kikkai had emerged and were absently running along the small circular scar on his chest, just over his heart. He frowned and commanded them to return to the hive. It was sloppy to let the kikkai start roaming free unordered.

Perhaps the infusion had bothered him a little more than he realized.

The kikkai buzzed a warning in his ear. Someone was coming up fast behind him. He called out a small swarm and focused their senses on the approaching chakra signature. Almost instantly they registered it as familiar, and he called them back in a moment before the newcomers came into view.

"Oy! Shino!"

"Kiba. Akamaru."

His teammates came bounding up to his side, and Kiba swung himself down from Akamaru's broad back. "How'd the clan thing go?" Kiba scratched his ear lazily with one hand, and scratched Akamaru's ear with other as he fell into step with Shino.

"Well."

"Sweet. Hey, you got a mission at the Hokage's office. Think you're being sent as backup for someone else or something. I dunno, the office flunky just told me to track you down." Kiba wrinkled his nose in displeasure. "Actually, he asked me if I _could _track you down."

Shino raised an eyebrow. "New guy?"

Akamaru snorted, and Kiba grinned. "Eh, he knows now, little punk. Nobody tracks like an Inuzuka tracks, baby. And Akamaru and I are the best there ever was." He jabbed a sharp thumb into his chest. "So get your buggy ass over to the Hokage," he ordered Shino, then jerked his head towards Akamaru. "We've got important stuff to do."

"You just returned from a mission," Shino remarked. "You haven't even been home yet."

"How'd'ja know that?"

Shino smirked. "You haven't showered."

"Piss off, Aburame," Kiba made a rude gesture, though his words were without heat. "We'll take this to the training grounds when you get back."

"A good idea. Perhaps I can knock sense into your head."

"Perhaps we can knock the stick outta your ass," Kiba growled. Then he grinned with all his teeth (a frightening sight to those unused to it). "So hurry up and get back soon. Meanwhile, I think maybe I'll go take that shower before we head downtown."

"Downtown?"

"Ladies' night at the bars," Kiba rolled his eyes at Shino. "Man, you need to get out more."

"I would not be mistaken for a lady."

The dog-nin swung at Shino, who sidestepped the blow neatly. "I wouldn't either, asshole!" he barked.

"Ah. So your purpose for going tonight-"

Kiba swung himself up onto his furry partner's back. "To pick up chicks, brother!" Akamaru leaped from Shino's side to a nearby roof. Kiba laughed. "You know how girls dig good-looking bastards like me!"

"Dog," Shino said.

"Ass," Kiba retorted. "You can't die before I beat you up!"

"Then I will live to a very advanced age," he replied.

Kiba grunted. "Whatever," he waved casually as Akamaru flexed his muscles and took off over the roofs. "Lookin' forward to makin' you cry like a bitch!"

It was, Shino mused as he headed for the Hokage's office, a strange way of saying goodbye, be careful, let me know when you're back again.

But they had always been something of an odd team.

**

"I hope it goes well."

"Eh, Bug-face will be fine, you know that. And when he comes back, we can have a good ol' fashioned smack down. We haven't had a team training session in forever."

**

AN: Personally, I think the Aburame are a very large clan (they protected Konoha from a massive bee-invasion alone...and yeah, bee-invasion sounds funny to me too). I also think the infusion would have to be kind of painful and weird. They aren't born with the bugs, so they've got to get into the body somehow. I also think it's likely to be something of a dangerous process. So I approached it from a "transplanted organ" point of view. Sometimes the organ and the body just aren't compatible. Next chapter: gonna try for some Ino brain-fighting! And Shino and Tenten interaction, because I think it's time they did more than just beat the crap out of each other.


	4. Price to Pay

_Notes_: Okay, cards on the table. I don't like this chapter. I don't think I wrote it very well and I don't think I got into Shino's head very well. But I needed it to bridge the gap between this and a chapter I do like. So here it is. Also, no, I don't think Ino is a bitch, I just think she doesn't like guys butting in on her turf. I relate.

_Goals_: To avoid the pitfalls of utter retardation.

_Warnings_: Cursing abounds.

Chapter Four

Price to Pay

He wasn't all that bad, as far as targets went. Okay, he smelled awful, but that was no reason to judge. He was actually kind of cute, Tenten reflected as she poured him a little more whiskey; cute in that big, strong, square-featured kind of way. He was in decent shape, at least, and he didn't laugh too loud or grope her breasts or anything. He did like to pull her up tight against his side and make vague innuendo about her smart tongue or pretty dancing. But he gave her all the choice bits of food first and didn't try to drag her off to a dark corner or anything. He really didn't seem all that terrible of a guy, except for the unfortunate smell.

Well, that and the ring of slave-runners he headed on the sly, of course. That was kind of a turn off, too.

So Tenten smiled and laughed and told little jokes and ate all the good food she could (hey, it was a party and free food was always welcome). And carefully, as Ino listened in from the rafters somewhere above her, she worked out little bits of information about his underground system. He was pretty talkative, particularly as the night wore on and the party he was throwing for his birthday got rowdier. "You're a talkative little thing," he grinned at her once. "Good thing you're cute, or I'd be suspicious."

"Oh, I'm just trying to figure out what makes a man of power tick," she responded cheerfully. "Besides, it's better than talking about how silly your counselor looks mooning over that pretty noblewoman."

"You're right," her target winked conspiratorially. "He looks like a cow with ulcers when he stares at her like that. Poor dumb bastard."

Tenten giggled and surreptitiously glanced up at the rafters. In her mind, she saw a brief image of Ino making a gagging face, and tried not to roll her eyes. _He's drunk, that's all. We're not going to get much more out of him if he keeps it up. He'll be incoherent soon._

_Eh, we've already got most of what we need, _Ino's voice whispered in her mind. _Just work him over a little longer, okay?_

_You spotted that Mist team yet?_

_Nah, I'm starting to think our intel was bad on that count. Not a sign of enemy shinobi anywhere. Probably just – hang on a second. What the hell are they doing here?_

Tenten nodded her head in reponse to something her target said, and hid a frown. _Who?_

_Hold on a sec, _Ino growled in her mind. _Keep doing your thing, I'm gonna chew a few butts._

Tenten poured another round for the daimyo and his friends. "It really is a lovely party," she said. "How old are you, lord daimyo?"

"Hah, now there's an unfair question," her target shook his head. "If I asked you that, I'd get smacked for my trouble."

"Oh, but old age on you is hardly unflattering," Tenten shot back, waving a finger. "It makes you look distinguished."

"Very well, then let me say that I am older than my counselor but younger than my chief warden," he responded. Tenten raised an eyebrow and tried not too look triumphant.  
"And who exactly is your warden, lord daimyo? That ancient looking man in the corner or the nervous young one on the far end of the table?"

"The old fart, Michigawa," the daimyo flicked his hand dismissively.

_Hah! _Ino crowed in her head, apparently finished with whatever had distracted her. _Okay, girl, you're cleared to retreat. Get your butt outta there and rendezvous_

_On my way_, Tenten replied. Reaching up, she tugged on the daimyo's shoulder until he was turned almost entirely toward her. "Then I guess my lord daimyo to be…" she traced a fingertip lightly down the curve of his cheek and along his jaw until her fingers rested lightly against the pulse point at the base of his throat. Under her hand, she felt his pulse quicken and his alcohol-saturated breath ghosted heavily across her face. "Thirty-five," she finished, and felt only a small pang of guilt as his delighted smile twisted suddenly into shock and horror as the contact poison from her hand took hold. He collapsed across her, and she rolled him off her lap as carefully as she could without looking suspicious.

"Oh dear," she muttered loudly enough for the few people near enough to hear over the noise. "Looks like the lord daimyo has drunk too much tonight."

She was halfway across the floor when the screaming started.

* * *

The riot of noise, light, and smells of the party assaulted Shino from a million different angles, even from several feet above it. He closed his own eyes and focused his will, carefully controlling the massive sensory input from the kikkai he had scattered throughout the grand hall. A few feet away, Neji perched motionless on the rafters, eyes scanning through the crowds below in search of his teammate. Behind him, Ino hissed furiously at Shikamaru and scowled at his muttered responses. She'd been none too pleased to see the backup team arrive, and was taking her irritation out on her grouchy friend.

"Look, I didn't purposely trek all the way out here just to get in your way," Shino heard Shikamaru grumble. "There might be a secondary Mist shinobi team in the area and the Hokage figured you might need more than just you and Tenten if you ran into them."

"What,so you big strong men came to save us? Well, so far we haven't even seen the first team anywhere," Ino growled back. "And we've almost got all the information we need from the target. Ten more minutes and we're outta here, so you can just go home already, Shikamaru!"

Shino heard Shikmaru start to answer, but the conversation became irrelevant as his kikkai suddenly picked up on a familiar scent. He ordered a few more to the area and tapped into their senses. The kikkai registered a strong combination of alcohol, perfume, and body odor, but under the unpleasant combination they also registered a lighter, cleaner smell. Shino focused his will again, and through the kikkai's eyes he saw her.

Tenten was sitting close (much too close for propriety, really) to a large, muscular man who looked like a daimyo and smelled like a pig sty. The man was drinking from a large cup, smiling and wrapping his arm around Tenten's lithe form. The kunoichi was smiling, leaning into him, and laughing sweetly at some joke he made in a voice too low and gruff for Shino's kikkai to really register the words. At least, not over the noise of the party. But Tenten's voice registered extremely well…possibly better than it should have, really. It was possible, Shino considered, that his familiarity with her voice and scent made it easier for the kikkai to lock on her.

In light of her quest to defeat him, she probably would not be pleased to know that.

"She's almost got everything we need to know about his slave trade with the Glass Country," Ino murmured to Shino, suddenly perched between him and Neji. "And we haven't had so much as a whisper of Mist shinobi," she added darkly, shooting an angry look over her shoulder.

"All the same, the danger exists," Neji informed her coolly. "It does you no harm to have backup yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Ino flapped a hand at him. "I'm just pissed on principle. I'll get over it." Suddenly her face went blank, then cleared. She smiled triumphantly. "Hah! And that's it. She just got the last name we needed from the bastard." She touched a finger to her forehead and concentrated. "Okay, girl, you're cleared to retreat. Get your butt outta there and rendezvous."

Shino watched Tenten tuck a strand of hair behind her ear to hide her slight nod of acknowledgement. Then she reached up and traced a finger lightly down the daimyo's face, brushing her fingertip along his throat to the hollow of his collarbone. The man smiled at her and leaned down towards her face, his intent clear. A moment later, he collapsed across her lap. Tenten patted his head almost fondly, then pushed him off and began to make her way quietly through the oblivious crowds.

"Well, that's that," Ino said smugly. "Nothing to worry –" Abruptly, she stopped talking. Shino felt his chest tighten as the color drained from the blonde's face and her eyes opened wide. Instantly, he opened his mind to all his kikkai, fighting to comprehend the rush of images and words as he tried to see what had caused her sudden fear.

"What is it?" Neji snapped his head toward her. "What happened?"

"Shut up," Ino gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. "Shut up. Don't distract – it's trying to get into her – shit, somebody _get her outta there!"_

Shino snapped his attention back to the kikkai around Tenten and saw that she had stopped walking. The kunoichi was simply standing in the room like a statue as the rest of the guests swirled around her.

"Somebody's attacking Tenten's mind," Shikamaru's voice cut through Shino's concentration as he grabbed Ino's shoulders to steady her. "Neji, scan for any unusual chakra. Shino, make a bug clone and clear some space around Tenten. Do _not_ touch her."

"The man in the west corner," Neji said instantly. "His chakra is stretched out towards Tenten."

Shino took a deep breath and focused his chakra. Below him, a mass of kikkai rose and solidified into a plain looking man wearing the uniform of the daimyo's bodyguards. The guard-clone stalked out of the shadows and through the mostly drunk crowd, pushing people roughly to the side as he circled Tenten. Up close, Shino could see the sheen of sweat on her skin, the way her hands clenched and unclenched, and the pain in her face as she struggled to fight whatever was clawing it's way into her mind.

The guard-clone smacked a drunk man across the face when he stumbled a little too close to the woman. Shino blinked and took another calming breath. It would do no good if he were to lose his temper and cause a fight with a bunch of drunk party-goers. To the side, Tenten stumbled suddenly, and Ino groaned as if she'd just been struck. Shino's guard-clone instinctively reached to catch Tenten, but Shikamaru grabbed Shino's arm. "Don't touch her," he repeated urgently. "The mind-technique might pick up on your presence and start attacking you too!"

"I will deal with him," Neji said, rising to his feet.

"No, Hyuga," Shikamaru commanded. "You go down there now and the daimyo's buddies will see you and compromise the original mission."

"Shut up," Ino hissed at the lot of them. "I've almost got it…gonna push the technique back at him, kill him with his own…chakra…just shut_ up_…"

"Shino," Shikamaru said, "She has to get out of there on her own."

Shino scowled. Below him, his guard-clone leaned towards Tenten's tense form.

"Shino!" Shikamaru shook his head.

The guard-clone stopped, mouth only a few inches from Tenten's ear.

"Walk," Shino said, and Tenten's head snapped up as his voice routed through the guard-clone's mouth and into her ear. "Tenten, you must walk."

The clone took a few steps, stopped, and turned to look back at her. Slowly, painfully, Tenten took a step after him, then a few more. Haltingly, they made their way across the floor. Shino let his clone shove a few of the guests out of the way with a little more force than was necessary.

"Almost got it," Ino panted. "Just get her….far enough…..he's weakening…" Then she lurched forward and grabbed her head in her hands, muffling a little scream of pain against her palms. Then she took a heavy, shuddery breath and nodded.

Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak, but Shino and Neji were already gone.

* * *

Tenten stumbled. She reached for the guard-clone to steady herself, but before her hand could catch his sleeve he dissolved into a mass of kikkai. Crap, she thought tiredly, through the fading screams in her head_. That is one hard-looking floor._

But before she could find out exactly how hard it was, something caught her around the waist. Arms? Ino? No…a second ago she had heard Shino's voice through the stranger's mouth…but then, a thousand other voices had been screaming at her, and she wasn't sure what was real right now. What the hell was happening? Why did her head hurt, her eyes blur, her feet move like she was pushing her way upstream in a river? What - ?

"Tenten," someone was saying in her ear, but it wasn't Shino this time. It was Neji. Neji? Why was Neji here?

Someone was carrying her, but she couldn't figure out who or why or where, and the screaming faded but the noise did not.

"I thought you said it was over," another voice said over her head. Familiar, too, but damn it, what was happening? No control, no understanding, shit, Tenten, what did you get yourself into?

"He's dead," another voice, female – Ino? Yes, Ino, had to be Ino, but then maybe it was someone else. Maybe it was her own voice. Hard to tell. "He's not attacking anymore. But I think he's left some kind of echo-technique in there. It's a little dropping a rock in a pond. The ripples just keep spreading even when the rock has fallen down to the bottom. I'll have to go in and dismantle it somehow."

"Can you do that?"

"Yeah, sure. Probably. Won't be pretty though."

The voices seemed to fade and draw away, as if she were falling down a cliffside into a deep pit. For a moment, everything around her was muffled and still.

Then it all came rushing in with a vengeance.  
It was like every sound that entered her ears was amplified and then replayed, over and over again to an off-beat rhythm that was slowly driving her mad. A tree rustled and the creaking cut back and forth across the inside of her forehead like a jagged edge blade against the skull bone. The soft tapping of five sets of feet moving against the earth below her head became a series of throbbing, unsteady bass lines that competed to blow her ear drums. Her own goddamn breathing was a painful roar that echoed and amplified until it was nearly unbearable.

Somewhere beyond the cacophony, Tenten could hear them talking again. "We don't need everyone standing around with their respective thumbs up their butts." Ino's voice was sharp and irritated, a staccato beat that rose and fell. _(-anding around respective thumbs around standing respective with up thumbs arou-) _"Don't you lot have anything useful to do, like finding out if he really did have backup somewhere?"

"He did not," Neji's harder, darker voice was somewhere (_he did he not) _above her, and it seemed to coil up inside her skull and (_did not he not did not)_ spin round and round. "I have scanned the area thoroughly."

"Then go scan it some more," Ino shot back. "Go on, all of you. I only need one pair of hands to help me with this. The rest of you, back off. I need to focus, and I _don't_ need an audience."

"Sheesh, okay, no need to get pissy about it," Shikamaru drawled. (_Focus_, one of the fragments of Tenten's conscious mind whispered to the others, and the word took root and echoed around like a scream in a canyon. _Focus foc us cus foc ocu)_ "Neji, standard circuit patrol to the south, Kiba and Akamaru to the west, Shino to the north. Looks like Ino needs someone to stick around and hold her down or something, so I guess I'll -"

"I will stay," a voice interjected quietly (and the sound of it rolled smoothly through the chaotic orchestra in her mind. She took a deep breath that was almost a sob of relief, but the sound of her own inhale caught and escalated into a constant wheezing scream and oh god she was going to go _mad.)_

"It's okay," the staccato voice in her ear, softer, _(okay it's ok ay ay kay) _less edged, still echoing. "Okay, look, just hold her down, okay? This is going to hurt like a bitch and I don't want her thrashing around hurting herself while I'm too busy picking through her head to stop her."

Hands on her temples, pressing lightly in. Something heavy and warm on her shoulder and stomach – more hands? - and something cool and rough wrapping around her knees, holding them together.

"Ready?" _(re ady eady read)_

"Yes."

"Alright. Hang (_right ight) _in there, Tenten. Here (_Tenten tenten here ten)_ we go."

(_go)_

The pain struck.

* * *

Her legs jerked first, but Shino was ready for that. The kikkai he'd wound around her knees buzzed and locked their own jointed legs together to form a flexible but strong sheaf around her, holding her shins and knees together and against the ground. But not too tightly, lest she break her own bones struggling to pull away. Her arms spasmed out an instant later, and he was ready for that too, catching them both in one hand. Her wrists were much smaller than he expected – which was a completely irrelevant thought and probably the reason why he was _not _ready for her next reaction.

Tenten's back and hips twisted up tortuously, then she slammed herself back against the dirt. The movement translated enough force into her chest that she wrenched nearly upright in a sitting position. Shino quickly corrected his own balance and put his free hand behind her neck, stopping her from slamming her head back into the ground as she fell back. Ino made a small sound of frustration as she struggled to keep her hold of Tenten's head and mind, but Shino barely heard it. He was far too distracted by the screaming.

He called more kikkai around her legs but before he could summon any around her arms, she wrenched one wrist free from him hand and swung it up at him. Her fingers narrowly missed his cheek, catching instead on his high collar. "Almost got it," Ino muttered. In response, Tenten screamed again and blindly tried to throw herself away from them both.

"Damn it, Shino, _hold her_!" Ino yelled to him, her eyes still shut tightly as she focused. "I'm trying to dismantle a bomb, here!"

Tenten's hand was still latched on to his collar, and the kikkai were still wound carefully around her legs, but the rest of her body needed to be neutralized before she harmed either herself or one of her companions. So Shino slid one arm under her shoulders and another around her waist, pinning her body against his chest and her flailing arm under his elbow. Ino's hands were still tangled up in her hair around her temples, and she helped as much as she could to hold Tenten's head still against his shoulder.

He smelled the blood a moment before the kikkai sensed it, but that was probably because her face was practically pressed against his neck when it began to drip gently from her nose, her ears, and her mouth. An instant later, Tenten's body went still.

"Shit," Ino said softly, and dropped her hands.

**

"Tenten. Breathe."

**


	5. Sensitivity

_Notes_: This didn't exactly work out they way I wanted but it was kind of fun to write. Forgive me, but I heart female character interaction. Oh, and there is Gai. (Note for the future: next I take a stab (hah! pun.) at team fighting. That should be fun.)

_Goals_: In character, a little humor, and some realistic explanations of 1) Tenten's feelings in a difficult, male-dominated job, and 2) the Aburame dress code.

_Warnings_: Feelings. You know, those girly things that girls have sometimes when they're being all…girly.

Chapter Five

Sensitivity

Shinobi often have trouble sleeping. Sleeping after a mission was particularly hard. Sleeping in a hospital after a mission was more difficult yet. Sleeping in a hospital after a mission when the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha was standing outside your door was, as Tenten had long ago discovered, damn near impossible.

But she was giving it her best shot, anyway.

"Nonsense!" She heard Gai booming, voice carrying right over the nurse's irate protests. "I happen to know my young former student is an extremely tough and resilient individual in the prime of her life! And the Hokage herself informed me that she is well on her way to recovery. But thank you, Miss Nurse, for your dedication to your entrusted duties. Your concern is most heartening. And now, if you will excuse me, I must check in on her myself and congratulate her on a successful completion of a difficult mission!"

Under the sheet in her hospital bed, Tenten shut her eyes and counted down. Three, two, one…

Boom! went the door, shuddering under the sudden assault. "Tenten!" Gai's voice rang through the poor, thin wooden paneling. "It is I, your former sensei!" Boom! repeated the door, creaking in protest as it put up a valiant effort to stay attached to the doorframe. "Tenten, are you awake?"

Tenten pulled the sheet down from her face, took a deep breath, and then called politely. "Come in."

With a final _whabam!_ the door ceded the victory as graciously as any cheap mass-produced piece of government purchased décor could hope, flying back to open the way for it's mighty opponent. He stood framed by the wreckage of the doorway, hands on hips and teeth agleam with power and light and beauty and power. Violins emoted mournful but stirring tunes of victory and defeat, joy and despair, and behind him, a bright ray of sun burst through the gloom of the overcast clouds to mark heaven's favor.

Watching Maito Gai enter a room was always an experience, Tenten thought.

"Ah, so you are awake after all!" Gai flashed her a smile. "I knew the nurse had no cause for concern. I'm happy to hear that you are recovery quickly, my precious teammate."

"Thanks," Tenten managed, though her throat was still pretty raw. "I'm okay."

"Excellent. Then Hokage was very impressed with your mental recovery as well, Tenten," Gai's chest seemed to puff out a little more than usual as he beamed at her with pride. "The fact that you managed to walk out of the building under your own power given what was happening in your mind is far beyond what she would have expected from anyone else," he continued, looking almost ready to burst. "Tenten, you are truly a superb shinobi!"

She shrugged, and dropped her eyes. "Yeah, thanks."

Suddenly, something warm and heavy was resting on her shoulder. "Tenten," Gai said in a tone several decibels lower than his typical thunderous voice. "Is there something bothering you?"

She looked up, managed a quick smile and even opened her mouth to start reassuring him that she was fine and dandy, thanks….and then realized that she had never lied to Gai before, and it was no good starting now because he was a jounin and her teacher and teammate for years now and would probably know if she was lying before she got a word out and oh, shit, was she _crying_?

"It's nothing, really," she choked out, fighting to keep her eyes clear and dry. "It's just…just…please don't say you're proud of me."

"But Tenten," Gai crouched down until his face was level with hers. "I _am _proud of you. Whyever would I pretend otherwise?"

"Because…I'm…" Tenten's voice was only a rough whisper now, and she couldn't stand to look at her sensei and teammate, a high-ranking jounin, no less, as she muttered her shame. "I failed."

"Failed?"

"When the…when I was attacked. I couldn't even close my own mind off. If Ino hadn't…if she hadn't been there and if Shino hadn't been there and…I was so _pathetic_." She all but spat the last word, gritting her teeth and closing her eyes. "And now I'm...well, I just feel like such a … I'm scared."

There was a moment of silence, and then Gai's voice seemed to lighten, though his grip on her shoulder was as steady as ever. "Ah, but Tenten, to a shinobi, fear is merely another useful guide on the path to self-enlightenment. For a shinobi knows her weaknesses, and fears that which threatens those weaknesses. Thus, by knowing what it is you fear, you know what it is you must work to improve." He laid a broad hand on her shoulder. "If you fear another experience like this, then you know that you need to work on protecting yourself from future mental attacks."

Tenten looked up at him with tired, dark-rimmed eyes. "But is it-" her voice hitched again, and she swallowed hard and fought for composure. "A shinobi must never show fear," she managed. "A shinobi must never _feel_ fear."

"Tenten," Gai frowned at her, and no one could frown quite as impressively as Maito Gai, or Maito Gai's mighty eyebrows. "I have never approved of that rule, because I believe it to be flawed."

"F- flawed?" Damn it, _why_ couldn't she keep her voice calm? She hated sounding like a scared little kid, like a weakling, a coward. Useless, stupid baby, she thought venomously. Useless, stupid _girl. _

"Fear," Gai broke through her dark thoughts, "is human. And no shinobi who forgets what it is to be human could ever be considered truly strong."

Tenten looked up at the jounin, the man who had been her teacher and teammate and friend. The man who was as close to a father as she could even imagine ever having. The foreboding frown disappeared, replaced by one of his less radiant but no less sincere smiles. "It's alright, Tenten," he told her. "You survived, because you are strong, and because you inspire others to be strong, too." He sat on the edge of the bed, looking her directly in the eye. "You are a vital part of our team, Tenten. And you are a strong shinobi in your own right. This fear is nothing to you but a chance to learn, and to grow. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," she bit her lip, and then closed her eyes and stopped fighting the hot tears that welled up in her already burning eyes. She threw her arms around his neck and bawled like a little kid, like a _girl_, like someone who had been exhausted and hurt and scared that she was worthless. "Yes, Gai-sensei," she said amongst the sobs.

He let her cry herself out for awhile. It was highly cathartic, but it didn't take long for the exhaustion to reassert itself. She sat up again a few minutes later, her sobs calmed to sniffles. Gai handed her a tissue and patted her shoulder. "Ah, it's been some time since you or Neji have called me sensei," he chuckled. "Such wonderful memories of the time when you were all such little buds of energy waiting to burst forth into full bloom!" He stood, striking Pose Number 2: The Springtime of Youth Is Truly Amazing! "Why, it makes me feel young again!"

* * *

"Hello," Sakura smiled at Tenten politely. "Glad to see you're up and around again."

"Thanks," Tenten nodded and seated herself beside the pink kunoichi at the ice cream bar where Ino had dragged her as soon as she had been released from the hospital. The blonde had overridden Tenten's protests, claiming that she only ate ice cream when she bought it for someone else, because calories don't count if it was a gift ("Chouji-logic," she'd called it, and hey, who was Tenten to judge?).

"I didn't expect to see you today," Sakura went on. "Once you got out of the hospital and all. You, on the other hand," she shot a glare at Ino. "You, I'm not surprised to see at all."

"I'm everywhere," Ino replied with a sharp grin.

"Like a bad rash," Sakura muttered. Ino stuck her tongue out, Sakura sniffed disdainfully, and then they sat on either side of Tenten with perfect equanimity. Tenten struggled not to roll her eyes. Some things she would probably never understand.

"So, how long until you and Tall, Dark, and Mysterious make it official?" Ino asked Tenten casually, slurping on a straw.

Tenten looked up from her sundae. "Pardon?"

"Oh come on, I betcha even Forehead knows about Aburame and you by now," Ino teased. "And she's freaking oblivious to anything that's not bleeding it's guts out on her boots these days."

"Aburame as in Aburame Shino?" Tenten blinked. "Wait, what about him?"

"You don't know? Oh, please, the man was all about saving you the other day. And I bet he was in the hospital a bunch while you were out of it. 'Fess up, Forehead, did you see the Bugman while his lady love was all aswoon?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Pig?"

"Oh, just that Tenten's got herself an admirer," Ino winked, pitching her voice to sound fluttery and coquettish. "Aburame Shino was so _concerned _about her. You shoulda seen it, Forehead, I swear I thought it was the sweetest thing ever."

"Was that before or after I was screaming and bleeding all over him?" Tenten snorted derisively, but Ino looked unfazed.

"Oh, definitely before, but he certainly kept close tabs on you after too. I saw one of those bugs on your shoulder the whole way home."

"You're such a busybody, Pig," Sakura interjected. "It is entirely possible for a guy to try and help a girl without any romantic motives. Particularly if the girl is injured and scared."

"I wasn't that bad," Tenten muttered defensively, knowing that she had been. But the other two kunoichi let it slide without so much as a significant look. They had all been there.

"Shut up, Forehead," Ino glowered at Sakura, then flourished her glass at Tenten. "You didn't see him. I mean, it was totally romantic! He was all kneeling over her and holding her against him," Ino wrapped her arms around her chest and pulled her face into a gooey smile. "And then he was all 'Breathe, my dear Tenten, breathe for me!' And then she was all -" Ino inhaled dramatically, throwing her arms out and batting her eyelashes. "And then they were all, 'Oh, my _darling_ love, you have _saved_ me- ack!"

Ino swerved, spinning on one leg of her chair to avoid the kunai Tenten had thrown at her. She did a full three-sixty, bringing the chair legs neatly back to the floor as she returned to face the table. The blonde propped her elbows on the tabletop and grinned cheekily at Tenten. "Maybe not in those words _exactly_," she admittedly casually. "But he did tell you to breathe."

"A perfectly reasonable thing to say when someone's choking on their own blood," Sakura pointed out. "Which is, by the way, _not_ romantic."

"Yeah, yeah," Ino flapped a hand dismissively. "Man, though, I wish you could have knocked those sunglasses off when you were flailing around," she remarked to Tenten. "I betcha he would have forgiven you for it, since you were pretty much totally out of it."

"What possible good would knocking his sunglasses off do anyone?" Tenten asked incredulously.

"I could have seen his _eyes_," Ino said in the exact same tone of voice. She made a 'how totally obvious is this?' face at the other kunoichi. "Maybe then I could have seen why he wears them. I mean, if it was just him, I'd put it down to personal fetish or something. But every single Aburame I've ever seen wears them too." She leaned forward, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Think they've got bug eyes?"

"Actually, I think it's a sensitivity issue," Sakura explained, a hint of lecture creeping into her voice. "Their skin has to be desensitized in the areas where the bugs frequently go in and out." She paused to bite her lip a little, obviously repressing a small shudder at the thought. "I mean, it would be excruciatingly painful for a regular person to have the insects go through their skin, because every time they did, the bugs would damage nerve-endings in the skin. So the Aburame seemed to have more or less evolved so that certain areas of their skin have less nerve-endings than normal."

"So it doesn't hurt when a bajillion bugs come boiling out of their arms?" Ino wrinkled her nose. "Okay, yay for not inflicting massive self-injury every time they use their own weapons."

"Problem is, the body is sort of hardwired to have a certain number of nerves," Sakura shrugged. "It seems like the Aburame deal with that by simply moving the nerves elsewhere."

"Like their eyes," Tenten said thoughtfully.

"Eyelids, actually," the medic corrected. "See, the bugs typically come out through the backs of their hands, arms, necks, torsos, and legs. So the nerves have more or less relocated to places like their eyelids, palms, scalps, and groin areas."

Ino choked on her milkshake. "Say _what?" _Tenten bit down on her lip to stop the giggles as Sakura clamped her mouth shut and flushed bright pink. Ino looked over at Tenten, eyebrows raised almost to her hairline, and then grinned the most wicked grin Tenten had seen on a friendly face. "Forehead, are you telling me what I think you're telling me?"

"I'm just telling you what I found out from research!" Sakura protested, and then somehow managed the impressive feat of turning even more pink than before as Tenten gave in to the giggles and Ino positively howled with laughter. "Not _personal _research!_"_ Sakura yelled at them, face now an almost perfect match for her rosy hair. "I read it in the medical records, you perverts."

"And on that note," Tenten pushed herself to her feet. "I've got to meet up with my team for our daily beating."

"You know, most teams get together and practice molding chakra, or throwing kunai at targets, or just for lunch." Ino rolled her eyes. "Your team gets together to beat the shit out of each other. Isn't it, you know, painful?"

"Only if I let them actually hit me," Tenten shook her head and threw down her share of the check on the table. "And I learned that lesson years ago."

**

"You're such a gossip, Ino."

"Hey, Sakura, your jealousy is showing."

"Pig."

"Freak."

"...So Shino and Tenten, huh?"

"Five bucks says they're together by Christmas."

**


	6. Redirect

_Notes_: I actually kind of like this chapter. Partly because I think I managed to write fairly coherently, and without gratuitous spelling/grammar/logic mistakes. Partly because I got to geek out and write some really almost-technical battle strategies. But mostly for the tickling. I think this is an aspect of Shino's abilities that people underestimate, to their detriment.

_Goals_: In the immortal words of Nina Simone: _"__But I'm just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord! Please don't let me be misunderstood."_

_Warnings_: A possibly confusing tactical strategy in the first few paragraphs. If it helps, I drew a little diagram while I wrote it, with arrows and stuff. Or you could just ignore the rights and lefts as long as you get the point of the maneuver. Also, some sneaky cheating. And use of the word "ninjing," which is not a word. Don't tell me it isn't a word. I know. You know. Kiba knows. We're good.

Chapter Six

Redirect

The heavy autumn fog was already rolling in when Tenten arrived at her team's designated field. She was early, but she could use the time to adjust the dispersion ratios of a couple of her newer weapons scrolls…

Someone was walking through the forest, about twenty feet to her left. The fog hid the stranger from her view, but they were pacing along exactly in time with her, moving on a parallel course. Deliberately, Tenten changed her course roughly twenty degrees right, away from the unknown. He (or she) seemed to carry on a straight path, oblivious. Just to be sure, Tenten swung her course back left, towards the unknown, putting herself on a collision course. Almost immediately, the unknown presence swung left, away from the collision.

Hmmm.

Tenten reached into her pouch and drew six shuriken. With a practiced flick, she launched all six in a straight line along the stranger's new path.

The chakra signature vanished, and then reappeared abruptly on her opposite side, this time only ten feet away. Tenten started running silently, veering left and away from the unknown chakra signature to put more space between herself and the unknown pursuer. As she ran, she pulled a scroll and sent two dozen shuriken sailing into the fog.

The chakra signature vanished again…this time it was to the right and above her, five feet away and moving through the branches. She started to veer away left again, and then realized what was happening: the first time she had moved towards the unknown, to the left, the unknown had made way for her, allowing her to travel in that direction. But every time she tried to move towards the unknown on the _right_, he or she would move in closer, aggressively forcing her back left, towards the thicker, more entangled parts of the forest.

She was being _herded._

Well, hell with that. Tenten pulled the scroll further open and sending a dozen shuriken upwards, a dozen to the left, a dozen more to the right, and a dozen behind her, just for good measure.

Again, the chakra signature fell off her sensory scope, and reformed…

To the right, three feet. And to the left, five feet.

And above, two feet and closing.

Damn it, there were _three _of them.

Tenten sliced her thumb on the edge of the scroll and smeared a streak of blood on the paper's surface. Then she dove forward, rolling along the ground, and sent a wave of one hundred sharp, pointy objects whirling simultaneously in every direction. The deadly steel rain vanished out into the fog, and she closed her eyes and flexed her fingers, focusing her chakra. The three chakra signatures vanished, as expected, but she wasn't paying any attention to them anymore, all her focus on the wires connecting her to the weaponry.

She felt one of the blades graze something, and immediately launched a follow-up kunai in that direction. Another tug on the wires from a different direction, and Tenten sent a couple shuriken towards it. A third contact, behind her; she reached for a kunai -

The fog near her throwing hand had teeth.

What the - ?

Instinctively, she wanted to jerk her hand back and away, but she forced herself to freeze as the teeth closed gently around her wrist. She couldn't get away fast enough, and if she struggled, those teeth might actually break her skin.

"Hi," she said, as the fog continued to materialize around the teeth. "So there were _four _of you after all."

"Nice trick, though," a voice said from the fog, and then Inuzuka Kiba appeared, baring a toothy grin at her. "You nearly shish-kabobed me. Check out my sleeve." He held up his arm to show her the tiny cut her thrown kunai had made in the fabric.

"I'm the terror of tailors everywhere," Tenten said wryly. Then she glanced down at her hand. "Speaking of terrors…"

"Oy, Akamaru," Kiba commanded. "Stop slobberin' all over her already."

The enormous dog opened his jaws and let Tenten pull her hand away, then sat back on his haunches and panted cheerfully as she tried to figure out how to wipe her fingers without appearing rude.

"You picked up on us very quickly," Hinata said softly, appearing a few feet behind Akamaru. "And throwing those weapons to pinpoint our true locations was very clever."

"Thanks," Tenten returned her smile and got up from where she knelt, brushing the dirt from her knees (and simultaneously, the dog drool from her hand). "You know, I don't think I realized what a huge advantage your team has in this sort of weather. A Hyuuga's eyes, an Inuzuka's nose - er, noses," she amended hastily when Akamaru gave a reproving little bark. "And…" Tenten paused and looked around. "I know you're out there," she said after a beat, as Kiba grinned and Hinata glanced to the side.

"How could you be sure? You admitted that you only sensed three chakra signatures," Shino's deep voice said from the fog to the left.

Tenten rolled her eyes and turned her head to the right, following Hinata's hint. "I've fought you how many times now? Trust me, I _know_ your chakra signature."

He walked out of the fog, hands in pockets. "I see."

"Alrighty," Kiba stretched, popping several of his joints loudly. "Let's see, today Hinata increased her visual range, as usual, Akamaru and I were awesome, as usual, and Shino had a rod up his arse, as usual." He ducked and rolled to avoid the sudden lash of kikkai bugs that swiped the air where his head had been, and came up grinning. "And then we ambushed a friendly and I nearly got shwacked," he continued without missing a beat. "Good times, good times."

"But it looks like our scheduled time for this field is up," Hinata remarked, nodding to Tenten shyly.

"Oh, I'm early," Tenten waved a hand. "I can back off if you guys aren't done yet. I didn't know anyone had it before us."

"Nah, all this ninjing is making me hungry," Kiba jumped onto Akamaru's back. "Chow time, buddy. Catch ya later, babe," he winked at Tenten as the nin-dog gathered himself to spring away into the fog. "Last one there buys!"

Hinata bowed politely to Tenten as she turned to follow her teammates, then paused a few feet away, only just in sight. "Shino?"

"Soon," he said quietly, and she nodded and kept walking.

Tenten folded her arms. "You used bug clones to confuse me, didn't you?"

Shino shrugged.

"So…" Tenten smirked and twirled a kunai in her hand. "Wanna fight?"

A swarm of black exploded from the dirt around Shino's feet, and then it - and Shino - vanished in the blink of an eye.

Damn, Tenten thought as she somersaulted backwards. Should have seen that coming.

Fortunately, she _did _see the kikkai-shuriken that came buzzing towards her.

Unfortunately, that was the last she saw of _him_.

* * *

Twenty minutes and almost four hundred thrown weapons later, she was getting tired. Not really physically tired - thanks to years of Gai's intense training, Tenten's endurance was far higher than the average chunin. This was a much worse sensation.

She was getting tired of _losing_ to him.

Okay, so the damn fog made a long distance fight totally in his favor, and he was pulling that dispersed-chakra trick with the kikkai, so she couldn't even find him, let alone hit him. And she didn't want to try trapping the whole area again…what was left to do?

Argh! Nothing! Nothing was left to....

Oh.

Huh.

Well, that might work.

Nothing was left to do, except do nothing.

It certainly had the element of surprise.

Tenten jumped down from the treetops to the earth below. As soon as her feet touched, she dropped the now-empty scroll, tossed her last three senbon point-down into the dirt, and plopped her butt down on the ground with a loud, heartfelt sigh. She folded her arms around her knees and let her head droop forward, eyes unfocused.

A long moment of utter stillness in the forest, and then from somewhere to her right he said, "I could have killed you four different ways in the last sixty seconds alone."

She didn't so much as twitch. "Only four?"

"Are you injured?" His voice was even and disinterested. Like he was dutifully asking a stranger about their day, instead of asking a comrade if they were suffering grievous bodily harm. "I don't detect any blood."

"Then I must not be injured," she replied, voice just as flat.

"There are other forms of injury besides lacerations." He was walking out of the fog now, hands in pockets as he regarded her from deep within his layers of heavy clothes and glasses and emotionless tone of voice.

"But none of your attacks have hit me," she pointed out, a little proud of her dodging skills. Then she frowned. "So the only other injuries I could possibly have would have to be self-inflicted." She couldn't keep the note of hurt out of her voice as she realized that he certainly would have figured that out already and wouldn't have asked the question unless he really thought it possible. "What, you think I'm so bad now that I trip over my own damn weapons?"

He stepped a little closer, and she could tell that he was uncomfortable from the way he lowered his head and pulled his hands from his pockets. He was apparently uncertain how to deal with her inexplicable actions, and didn't like the sensation much. "That is not likely."

"My own feet, then? Thanks, that's much bett-"

"You are an expert weapons master and martial artist," he bit out suddenly, voice cutting through her grumble like a knife. "And you are a naturally graceful person."

She stared at him, plan momentarily forgotten. He was merely standing there, hands at his sides, making no move to attack. There were no swirling kikkai in sight. He hadn't even raised his voice. And yet somehow, for just a moment, he seemed strangely scary to her. Maybe it was the way he was close enough now that he loomed over her, glaring down (yes, definitely glaring, she could see his eyebrows slanting down, and a little wrinkle of displeasure was forming between them). Maybe it was the odd, tense set of his shoulders. Most likely it was the sheer intensity of his voice as he...berated her? Complimented her? How exactly was she supposed to interpret that?

For a tense moment, neither shinobi moved or even seemed to breathe. Then Shino's shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch, and his voice sounded calm and flat again as he said, "Thus it is unlikely that you have harmed yourself with any of your weaponry."

Tenten swallowed, forced herself to breathe normally, and offered him a weak smile. "Thanks."

He shrugged a shoulder at her, perhaps an attempt to dismiss the odd moment that had just passed. She struggled not to hold her breath in anticipation...come on, Shino, she thought. Help me out here. For a second she thought he wouldn't, that he would step back and try to provoke her into fighting (which was exactly what Gai, Lee, or even Neji would have done at this point).

His weight settled on his heels, and she smiled.

"Are your injuries from the last missio - "

The rest of his sentence was lost in a startled "ooph!" as Tenten exploded to her feet and rolled forward, throwing her full weight directly into him. She rammed into his gut first, knocking the air from his lungs. As they fell back, she slung one arm around his neck and hooked his leg with the other arm and then she _heaved._ A brief sense of falling, a twist of her hips and arms, and she was laying sideways on his chest, her left hand clutching the back of his left leg, her right arm looped tight around his neck and pressing the kunai she'd hidden up her sleeve against his throat. She dug her feet into the dirt to give her leverage over his larger, heavier body. But he didn't struggle, and she hastily lifted her head to look at his face. Crap, she hoped this wasn't another bug clone...

The man underneath her lay very still for a moment, and then she felt him inhale. The motion pushed her own body up in time, but she was still in control of the pin.

She had pinned him! That was no small accomplishment in Tenten's world, so she forgave herself a mental _yosh!_

"That," he said, and she could actually feel his voice in her chest even through the multiple layers of thick cloth. "That was a very low trick."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she tried to smirk at him, but her sheer joy at having actually pulled one over on Aburame Shino, the genius, was just too great. She wound up grinning goofily at him in triumph instead. Slightly less cool, but whatever. He was in no position to say anything right now. "All I did was sit down. _You _walked up to _me_."

"True," he agreed. "I was under the impression that you were not fighting."

If anything, her grin got even bigger.

"I know," he went on before she could say anything. "Rule fourteen, even if someone has not attacked, do not assume that they will not."

"You should have let me say that," she tried to frown at him reprovingly, but gave it up and went back to grinning. "Then it would have been like I was teaching you a lesson instead of you just admitting a mistake."

"Hm."

"But hey, I'll take it. Cheap victory is better than no victory."

"Hm."

"If I didn't know better," she laughed, "I'd think you were sulking right now."

"Then it's fortunate you know better."

"Maybe." Quick, she thought, before he works his way out of it and slams me in retaliation! Careful not to let her weight shift in any way that would give him an opening, she let go of his leg and hooked it between her knees, then rolled until she was kneeling over him, still holding the kunai to his throat with one hand. She reached up with her newly freed hand and snagged his arm, taking care to pin him at the wrist and not the elbow, thus neutralizing his superior upper body strength with her superior leverage. "Then again, if I were you right now, I'd probably be sulking too, so it would be hypocritical to tease you for it."

"Very."

He still hadn't tried to throw her off. That might mean he had accepted her victory. It might mean a giant meteor of kikkai was hovering an inch from the back of her skull. It was a tough call.

"But I'm not you," she went on. "I'm me. And you _should_ sulk, because I just _owned _your ass, Aburame."

Her hand was fisted in his collar, pulling it down and out of the way of her blade, so she had a good view of the corners of his lips as they twitched slightly in what may have been a smile. "Hypocrite."

"Owned," she retorted, nodding to her kunai for emphasis.

He didn't shrug, because such a movement might have jarred the razor-sharp blade against his throat, but he still somehow managed to convey a _sense_ of shrugging at her without actually moving. (In the back of her mind, she wondered how that was even possible, and then chalked it up as another version of his might-not-be-looking-at-you-but-probably-is trick.) "Your teammates will be here soon," he informed her. "They will doubtless be interested in your success."

"In other words, save my bragging for someone who cares, huh?" Tenten laughed dryly and sat back, sliding off him and putting the kunai away. "Fine, fine, I'll admit it wouldn't have worked in a real fight." She looked down and caught sight of a little black dot making it's way across her sleeve, and then burst out laughing. "Oh man, you _got_ me," she hung her head in mock defeat. "I didn't even notice it."

The kikkai crawled onto the finger she offered. Tenten held it closer to her face to get a good look at it. Funny, it didn't really look like anything special. No glowing chakra or creepy markings or anything. Just a little black bug. Unimposing, easily overlooked, and amazingly dangerous. It sat still under her scrutiny, then suddenly skittered down her palm and along the blue veins in her wrists. Tenten twitched and fought the urge to shake her arm as the tiny little feet and feelers brushed along the sensitive skin of her wrist and inner forearm. But it was a losing battle, especially once the feather-soft touch of the kikkai reached the inside of her elbow.

"Stop!" she gasped to Shino, turning to him and holding out her arm pleadingly. "That _tickles!"_

"Does it?"

"Yes!" Tenten tried to get the kikkai to crawl onto her other hand by pressing her fingers in it's path, but the little bug swerved around the obstacle and continued looping slowly around her forearm, up and down the soft skin of her wrist… "Okay, okay, I surrender!"

"Acknowledged." The kikkai scurried up to rest in her palm, flitting it's little wings at her innocently. Shino was sitting with his back against a nearby tree, watching her with amusement as she fought to regain some composure (and dignity).

Tenten glared at him. "For the record," she said at last. "Cheating to win a fight that I have already won by cheating is totally…"

"Cheating?"

"Exactly."

"Hm."

Tenten laughed, and then blinked as Shino gave a low, smooth chuckle. "Hey!" She sat up straight and pointed a finger at him. "I've never heard you laugh before."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

Tenten leaned forward until she was only a few inches from his face and carefully brushed a fingertip against his cheek. The kikkai that had been tormenting her hopped obediently from her skin to his, then vanished down into his collar. "It's a good laugh," she told him matter-of-factly. "You should do it more often."

Then she stood up. Distantly, she could hear a couple of masculine voices speaking in what could best be described as _enthusiastic _tones, and one somewhat less excited but no less masculine voice responding, "She's over there."

"Well, now that I've had my butt kicked," she told Shino. "Looks like it's time to start - "

On cue, a booming voice cut through the fog. "- training! Come, my dynamic teammates! It seems Tenten has been working hard in our absence. We must not let her down by being any less dedicated!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"She can't have been here long. My cousin's team was booked for the time slot before us."

"Tenten, my admirably eager young friend! Let us join you in your quest for perfection!"

"Coming," she called. "See you," she waved to Shino. He nodded, rose to his feet, and vanished back into the fog.

**

"That didn't look like any training I've ever seen."

"Neji? Shut up and dodge."

**


	7. Family Matters

_Notes_: There was originally a whole lot more happening in this chapter than this, but it started to get obscenely long, so I cut it shorter and just let it be about politics and family. More or less. Shino is damn difficult for me to write, partially because he's male and partially because he's Shino. I tried really hard not to be long winded or boring, but still to explain things that needed to be explained. There's a lot of set-up in this chapter, getting things ready for stuff further down the road. Also, yes, I think Shino is a probably a little bit of a slob. Just because he's quiet and intelligent doesn't mean he's also neat.

_Goals_: To keep it interesting.

_Warnings_: Politics. Wordiness. Lack of action. [Which I swear I will really make up for in a chapter or so.] A smattering of OCs. Lots and lots of speculation about the Aburame family structure.

Chapter Seven

Family Matters

In retrospect, Shino should have seen it coming. The signs had all been there, if only subtly. The Aburame were known throughout Konoha as some of the most astute observers in the village, and Shino was often hailed as a prodigy of his clan as well as a genius in his own right.

It started when he came home that night, brushing the snow off his shoulders and pushing his weather-damp hood from his head. A slender, dark haired woman met Shino in the entrance hall. "There are strange sounds coming from your room," she greeted him, lacing up her boots in preparation for a mission.

Shino knelt to untie his own boots and place them in the recently vacated spot on the shoe rack. "Again?"

"I believe the search team I sent in last week has become lost," Aburame Aika continued, shrugging into her overcoat. "They were not sufficiently prepared for the wilderness in that room."

"Next time you should send someone with more experience," he advised her.

"Next time I should have a son who can wield a vacuum as well as a kunai."

"That would be negligent of me," he countered. "I believe several endangered colonies of bacteria are growing in my room. I cannot be responsible for their destruction."

"Some of those colonies are far too evolved to be considered lower life forms anymore."

"All the more reason to refrain from damaging their natural habitat."

Aika sighed and adjusted her dark glasses briskly. "You are a terribly exasperating son."

"Yes, Mother."

"The Sita leader is here," she told him, reaching up to tap the frames of his own shades. "Probably to harass your father."

Shino shrugged. Aburame Hiroto was not happy unless someone else was not happy. And the Kao, the Aburame clan leader… well, _his_ unhappiness seemed to count double towards Hiroto's pleasure. There was hardly a month when the leader of the second largest sect of the clan didn't have some point to argue with Shibi.

"Shino," his mother tugged on a pair of gloves and eyed him sternly over the top of her glasses. "Do not underestimate someone simply because he is weaker than you."

"Because he may be smarter," Shino finished her favorite saying for her, bowing his head a little in acquiescence. "I will remember that, Mother."

"Ah, the Honorable Heir!" A new voice exclaimed. "Welcome home, young Shino."

"Also, because he may not be alone," Aika continued without missing a beat. She smiled warmly at her son, nodded curtly to the short, stocky man who had appeared in the hallway with an ingratiating smirk on his stubby face, then strode purposefully for the door. "I have a mission. I must go."

"Lady," the newcomer bowed, oily as a grease soaked rag. "Do not let me detain you from your duties."

"I won't," she said firmly. She rested a hand on her son's shoulder briefly, then vanished silently into the evening shadows outside.

"Honorable Heir," the man turned to Shino. "You are respectfully summoned into the Kao's presence."

Shino nodded, warily eying the chunin from behind his dark glasses. Gorou was the subordinate of Hiroto, leader of the Sita Aburame sect. And neither Hiroto nor his second in command harbored much love for Shibi, leader of the Hira Aburame sect and by default, of the entire clan. They were loyal, in a quiet fashion, but rarely passed up the opportunity to remind Shibi (or Shino, or anyone and everyone) that their loyalty was strictly for the clan itself, not the current leaders themselves. Gorou in particular loved to speak to Shino as if he were a particularly obnoxious little boy. So when he called Shino by the proper (if somewhat archaic) honorific as if he were truly _delighted_ to meet, Shino's kikkai prickled a warning he was loathe to ignore.

Gorou bowed and stepped to the side, allowing Shino (just) enough room to move past him down the hall of the largest of the Aburame houses, where he and his family dwelled. The Aburame complex was not nearly so large or elaborate as many of the bigger, wealthier families in Konoha, but the complex covered roughly six blocks and housed the five sects of the clan, with the largest and most powerful sect living in the very center of the area.

There were no great walls or imposing gates surrounding the portion of town where the Aburame lived. There weren't even any clan symbols or signs to indicate ownership. It was just a normal, if somewhat more traditional looking, part of the city. The five sects of the clan lived loosely together, and for the most part got along in their quiet, solitary ways. The primary sect, Shino's family, set up and occasionally enforced the few simple rules that all Aburame obeyed, but otherwise did not interfere with the lives of the other sects. The location and size of the main house was the only outward indication of any difference in one sect from another.

That did not, however, mean that there was no infighting or complicated political issues at all. It was just a lot more subtle than, say, the Inuzuka's household. In Shino's experience, Kiba's family had the Alpha Pack, and if anyone disagreed with their rules (which they did frequently, and loudly) then they announced it in front of the entire clan, there was a scuffle of some kind, and then the winner was Alpha. Kiba's mother, older sister, and Kiba himself, were considered Alpha because they won every scuffle. Period.

In Shino's family, a distant cousin calling him a polite title could mean a number of dangerous things. The Sita were planning to splinter. Shibi was about to be assassinated. Shino was about to get disinherited. Gorou had gas.

Shino put idle speculation aside, and entered his father's study.

Two million eyes turned to regard him thoughtfully.

* * *

Kiba had once asked Shino, in a vaguely irritated but still joking sort of way, if the Aburame trained their children to regard words as an unfortunate physical occurrence that they must strive to overcome. "Like bustin' ass in public, or something."

Shino had (naturally) ignored the question. But later, when Hinata rephrased the question in a much more tactful and non-intrusive way, he had reconsidered. He concluded, as he told them some months later, that the Aburame trained their children to regard words not so much as pitfalls but as weapons.

"The seeding occurred according to the rules," Shino's father was saying, as detached and calm as if he were merely remarking on the weather.

"The Tume sect is blessed with a healthy addition." Hiroto replied just as blandly.

They appeared to be discussing the birth and infusion of the little baby girl, Tamiko, only a few weeks ago. The conversation seemed to be a casual passage of time. But Shino saw the way Hitoro's eyebrows were slightly raised as if in admonition, and the fact that his father had brought up the infusion at all so many weeks after its occurrence sounded vaguely defensive.

"It took very little time," Shibi said. Yes, Shino thought. His father was definitely under attack. Hiroto was driving him into a corner about something, something concerning the newborn Tume child. But why? What could the Sita leader possibly hope to gain from this?

"So I have heard. The child accepted the queen nearly as quickly as your own son." Hiroto smiled benignly. "So everyone made it home in time for dinner?"

Shibi's voice chilled a few degrees. "The hungry had no complaints."

Ah. So this was Hiroto's game. The infant had been born late the night before, if Shino's memory served. Infusions were, by contract, required to take place before the child was a full twenty-four hours old. Little Tamiko had barely made it under the timeline. By deliberately noting the late time of day the ceremony had happened, Hitoro was reminding Shibi that the child's father had waited longer than customary to bring the baby to the Kao, the clan leader.

Thus Hiroto was likely here to suggest some sort of punishment, or at least investigation, into the father's tardiness. An attempt to hide one's child from the clan, after all, was a serious breach of the contract. Shibi tended to be a little more relaxed than some of his predecessors, allowing families to decide if their children were to be gifted with the hive or instead given over to a more civilian life.

"The parents must have been pleased," Hiroto folded his hands over his stomach. "The new mother in particular. Although I understand that she was not present at the time."

Hm, thought Shino. So Hiroto suspected that the mother, an outsider who married into the clan a year or so ago, had attempted to persuade her husband to stop the infusion.

"The labor was several hours," Shibi settled back in his seat slightly, stretching his arms out and letting his hands splay on the armrests. "The whole family required rest."

"The mother probably suffered most. Young children recover so quickly from trauma," Hiroto responded almost amiably.

There it was again: the subtle dig at how long it had taken Tamiko's father to bring the child forward. If Shibi ignored this understated request to investigate, he gave Hiroto grounds to argue that Shibi was lax in looking out for the clan's interests. If he favored it, however, he might discover that Tamiko's father had well and truly hesitated to bring his child to the infusion. Such a public admittance could mean that Shibi was contractually bound to punish the parents in some way, which would of course give rise to all kinds of dissenting opinions within the smaller sects of the clan. Some would demand the contract be obeyed to the letter. Others would say that Shibi was overstepping his authority. And Hiroto would say that the unrest was Shibi's fault at any rate, and he was clearly causing discord within the Aburame clan.

"Childbirth is quite a trauma," Shibi countered.

Hiroto quirked his lips at Shibi, as if they were sharing some small private joke. "You and I have both witnessed the birth of our children, Honorable Kao. We know that fathers have little to do with the process beyond the first fleeting moments."

"Indeed," Shibi's small smile was more grim and yet equally self-satisfied. "Though I imagine it is more fleeting for some than others."

Hiroto's artificial good humor vanished. "I have no basis for comparison, Kao."

"Though the labor is the burden of the mother," Shibi continued smoothly, graciously covering the slightly awkward pause following Hiroto's flat answer, "the young father cannot help but feel some strain as he waits. No man, particularly an accomplished shinobi, enjoys the sensation of helplessness."

"And yet a shinobi who cannot handle such mild stress without outward strain is no true shinobi," Hiroto countered, a little sulkily. "Long hours of anticipation alone cannot account for sudden inexplicable behavior."

"But concern for a loved one can."

The moment he spoke, Shino knew it had been the wrong course of action. Hiroto's expression was politely neutral, which in and of itself was a warning. He almost radiated an air of good-natured tolerance as he turned to look at the younger man. "Ah, Honorable Heir, but one cannot forget the first rule of the Konoha Shinobi: Duty First." He settled back in his seat, once more a benign old man with only a sincere interest in the younger generation's welfare at heart.

"Son," Shibi spoke up a little more quickly than was strictly casual, perhaps in an attempt to cut Hiroto off before he could say more. "Your mission went well today?"

"Yes."

"Excellent," Hiroto nodded with pleasure. "It is good to hear that the Honorable Heir is gaining experience these days."

"I have been an active jounin for four years," Shino heard himself reply a little too coldly. "I am hardly inexperienced." Internally, he scowled at himself for playing right into Hiroto's foolish little game. Now he appeared just as young and thoughtless as Hiroto's remark had implied. The air around Hiroto practically radiated with smugness now.

Better to stay silent and be thought a fool, Shino quoted the old adage to himself, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.

"My son," Shibi said quietly, and even though his tone was quiet as ever it carried a distinctive note of pride, "is a very good shinobi."

"So he is," Hiroto agreed pleasantly. "So he is."

Shibi flicked a finger at Shino in dismissal. Well, it was to be expected. He had made a damn mess of that particular confrontation. No doubt Shibi had wanted Shino there in order to observe the threat of Hiroto's subtle machinations. Observe, he told himself bitterly. Not get involved. And certainly not to dive in and fumble around as clumsily as a genin in tall grass. Not ten minutes in the room and he'd already given Hiroto a clear opening into his defenses.

Damn.

It was time to cut his losses.

Shino stood, nodded once to his father, and then stalked out of the study.

* * *

He paced down the hallway steadily, mentally willing his kikkai to settle down as they buzzed under his skin. So far his irritation was not so great that he was losing control of the hive, but it was enough to upset them. It was not entirely unpleasant to feel them coursing under his skin, through his chest and arms and even legs. It was a little like adrenaline, a little like blood, a lot like live electricity running through his body.

Shino walked out the front door of his house and started moving steadily down the cool, dark streets of the Aburame complex. If he stopped dwelling on Hiroto's plotting and Gorou's greasiness…if he just kept moving, slow, deliberate, and controlled, the kikkai would calm down soon and he could go home and get some sleep.

Konoha was quiet. Autumn was only just beginning to change the leaves and chill the air. It was a moonless night, making the stars that much brighter by comparison. Not a particularly romantic soul, Shino was rarely moved by such things as the stillness of night or the brightness of stars. His heavy clothes warded off the worst of the cold, and no shinobi thought much of the dark beyond it's general usefulness. Tonight, however, the dark and the chill seemed to combine with Shino's own unhappy thoughts to make him feel particularly….solitary.

He debated going to Kiba's home, where he knew he would be welcome and could very easily drown out any thoughts of politics or intrigue. On the other hand, he was really in no mood or condition to be around quite that _much_ noise. The Inuzuka household was, as a rule, loud, cheerful, and very into physical contact. Slaps on the back, punches to the shoulder, pinches, pokes, and even hugs from some of the younger or more…female of the pack were a matter of course. And while sometimes he needed and enjoyed the riotous joy of Kiba's home and family, tonight was just not one of those nights. In fact, it would be inadvisable given the state of his agitated kikkai.

Hinata's gentle smile and peaceful nature would make her a good companion. Unfortunately, if it was subtle power plays and touchy inter-clan political issues that he wished to avoid, then the Hyuuga complex was the last place he could hope to look. And Kurenai and her young child would both likely be sleeping at this hour. No need to wake them up just to soothe his mild frustration.

This left him with very few options. Well, he could always just get over this sudden desire for contact and keep walking, thinking tranquil thoughts about the colony of _hodotermitidae _he had discovered in an old rotting log in the training grounds yesterday. Or…

Or he turn left at this cross street, right again at the next, and find himself at the foot of an unassuming apartment complex, where almost no one he knew lived.

It was late. She was probably asleep, particularly given her still somewhat recent brush with death and her much more recent brush with her team's rigorous training regime. He had no real reason to go there, and no good reason intrude on her personal life. He was unsettled tonight and not in his best frame of mind. Not that Shino was the best of company most of the time anyway.

On the other hand, it was a little chilly out here tonight. And very quiet.

Shino turned left.

**

"No thank you, I already have a policy through the Hokage's office!"

"...It's Shino."

"Shino? As in Aburame Shino? As in, Not A Life Insurance Agent Shino?"

"To my knowledge, yes."

"Oh. Well, uh, hang on a second. Let me just dismantle this bomb, okay?"

**


	8. The First Move

_Notes_: Happy New Year! Yeah, more talking. Didn't get a whole lot of action in here either, unless you count the little strategy games they play with each other. But I really wanted to get some non-violent interaction in between these two, because sometimes I get tired of the whole lets-beat-each-other-to-a-pulp-because-we-can thing. Also, I wanted to clarify one or two points about both of their histories.

_Goals_: To make it obvious why they get along so well, and to demonstrate that strategy is every bit as important as having big muscles and massive chakra signatures.

_Warnings_: The ending. You're going to hate the ending.

Chapter Eight

The First Move

Shino stood patiently outside the door, listening to the very soft sounds of someone dismantling a bomb. "Hang on, almost….got it!"

The door swung open, and Tenten smiled at him cheerfully, waving a handful of lax trip wires. "Sorry that took so long. I haven't actually taken those wires down for weeks." She stepped aside to invite him in, and then darted around him to deposit the wires on a small table by the door. "Well, come on in and make yourself comfortable."

"I take it you do not entertain often."

"Nah, the only people who really come over are my team, and they stopped using the door after the last one shattered."

Shino titled an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged. "One too many dynamic entrances, I guess. So now they use the window like respectable ninja, or I just meet them outside."

Shino nodded. "So," Tenten began, and he braced himself for the inevitable awkwardness when she asked him what he wanted and he had no good answer. "You want white or black?"

He stared at her for a moment, completely bemused until he noticed the chess board sitting on her small living room table. "Black," he said after a moment.

"I figured you'd say that," she smiled triumphantly.

"Why?"

"Because you like to let your opponent make the opening moves, so you can figure out their strategy and preempt it. Like when we fight – you always let me attack first."

He shrugged. "I will play white, if you like."

"No way. I've got a strategy all lined up I want to try on you. But first," Tenten turned and walked into her small kitchen, casually beckoning her guest to follow. "Some tea, I think. Nothing helps stimulate the old chess-master brain cells like hot cinnamon tea. Do you like cinnamon?"

"I rarely drink tea," he replied.

"Wow." Tenten shook her head and smiled a little to take the edge off her words. "You really are the king of not giving a straight answer."

"No," Shino said softly, thinking of Hiroto's pleasant smile and his father's shadowed face. Tenten's smile wavered a little uncertainly, but she seemed to mentally shrug his odd tone off and resumed filling her tea pot.

"Well, I'll make plenty anyway. You can never have too much tea, especially when you're about to go into battle." She smiled wryly and jerked her head briefly towards the living room, indicating the chess board visible through the open door. "My mom used to call tea 'brain juice.' She said her brain couldn't run without it."

She looked at him expectantly for a moment, and Shino looked back silently. Finally, Tenten snorted (strange, he'd never heard a woman do that before) and resumed rummaging in her kitchen cupboards. "Oh come on, Aburame, you have to recognize an opening when I give one."

Shino raised an eyebrow. "You want me to ask about your personal business?"

"Well, most people are pretty pumped about a chance to find out about my noticeably absent family. And I left you a swinging wide door there."

"So I am then to infer that you _do_ want me to ask."

Tenten shot him a look over her shoulder that was pure challenge. "Up to you," she said sweetly.

Shino leaned comfortably on her counter, watching her set the pot on the stove. "So you drink tea as a rule when you play chess."

The only acknowledgement Tenten gave his small victory was a brief roll of her eyes. "Absolutely," she nodded decisively. "All the time. Starting today."

"How good are you without stimulants?"

She glared at him in mock offense. "It's not a stimulant. It's hot, swishy happiness in a cup. And I'll have you know I'm a _fabulous_ player, with or without the tea." She laughed and wrinkled her nose a little ruefully. "Okay, so maybe I'm not _fabulous_. More like….well, I mean, I don't get to play all that often. Neji thinks it's trivial and Lee tends to make a lot of reckless moves that make him a little too easy to beat."

"Then you would do well to seek out Nara more often."

"That's only assuming I play the game for the sake of self-improvement," she corrected. "If I were trying to be a better strategist or whatever, then yeah, I'd play him as often as I could put up with the grouch. But I only do it for fun and entertainment, and getting my butt handed to me every time isn't really as much fun as it sounds."

"And yet you continue to challenge me," he replied mildly.

Tenten's eyes narrowed, but she seemed to recognize the poor attempt at a joke for what it was. "Because I know I'm _going_ to beat you," she told him with a smile, and merely poked him in the shoulder instead of roundhouse kicking him across the room. "You know, eventually."

"Then tonight is your chance to beat me in a new arena."

"Oh, definitely. I've got tea, remember?" She held up a mug at him as if to demonstrate. "And I've never lost a game of chess while I was drinking my brain juice." She set the mug down and started rifling through her cupboards. "Knock on wood."

Shino regarded her for a moment as she moved around her kitchen. "Why?"

She paused, one hand half way to the box of tea on her cupboard shelf and glanced over at him. "What?"

"Why would I knock on wood?"

"Oh." She shrugged, then frowned at the grey tea box in her hand. "It's just an old expression. Er, superstition. You know, like throwing salt over your shoulder to ward off bad luck or something." Tenten rose up on her toes and stuffed the tea box back on the shelf, feeling around on the high shelf.

"How does hitting an innocent inanimate object ward off fate?"

"I dunno. It's just a thing." She pulled down a green tea box, rolled her eyes, and reached to shove it back into the cupboard and grope around some more. "Something people say after they've just made a declaration about something that's never happened to them. 'Knock on wood, the bad thing won't happen'."

"Is it the wood?" Shino reached over her head and took down a dark brown tea box with a picture of cinnamon sticks on the side and handed it to Tenten. "Or is it the act of knocking itself that prevents the undesired event?"

"I have no idea." The old tea kettle on the stove whistled cheerfully as the water inside reached a boil, and Tenten popped open the newly retrieved tea box and pulled out some sweet-smelling leaves.

"Perhaps the wood absorbs the bad luck?" he ventured.

"I think it's got something to do with scaring off mischievous spirits or something. Have you seriously never heard anyone say - " She paused, and shot Shino an exasperated look. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"

"It is entirely possible."

Tenten rolled her eyes expressively, then slid into a chair on the white side of the chess board. "Come on, comedian. Put your strategy where your mouth is."

It was remarkable, Shino reflected as he settled into the chair opposite and waited for Tenten to make her first play, that anyone ever thought the girl was flat and uninteresting. In his experience, she was a series of contradictions and puzzles. She wore utterly practical, sturdy clothes that were, nonetheless, glaringly white. She grew her hair long and thick but never took it out of a brutally sensible style. She invited people to ask about her life and family and yet no one seemed to know anything about them.

"What is an open door," he asked suddenly, as Tenten slid a pawn forward, "that you know will be ignored?"

She grinned slyly at him. "A very good defense," she replied.

And it was true. Shino countered with a knight as he realized just how neatly Tenten had preempted him from asking about her family. She knew he would decline to ask any question that she practically ordered him to ask…and thus he had been outmaneuvered. Before it had even occurred to him to play.

Well that would never do.

"Who were you expecting tonight?" Shino asked, watching Tenten tap a finger between a bishop and a rook contemplatively.

"Hm?" she glanced up at him, then pursed her lips and moved the rook. "No one. I just leave my chess set out because it's pretty. And it's a good excuse to get conversation going if someone does swing by. Never hurts to be prepared."

They played in silence for a moment longer. Shino spotted a gap in her strategy that would end the game in his favor in two, maybe three moves. But he let it slide, wanting to draw the game out a little longer to give him time to work his way into her defense. "I am glad," he said after awhile, "that my unexpected arrival did not interfere with your plans."

"Nope," she said cheerfully. "You're always welcome here, anyway."

Damn. Apparently she was determined not to make this easy. He would have to go for a more direct approach. Shino slid a bishop down the board to threaten her queen and force her to move it back. "It has been a difficult evening."

"Looked like it," she nodded companionably, and shifted her queen. Then she tilted her head at him and took the bait. "Mission go bad?"

"No." Shino contemplated the board, and chose his words with care. This strategy required more honesty from him than he was usually willing to give, but if it won him the goal…briefly, he wondered why it was so important that he win this little contest she had initiated with him, then brushed the thought of as irrelevant. "There has been some…dissent within the branches of my clan," he said at last. "Petty rivalry, mostly."

"I never did get the structure of your clan," she commented idly, leaning forward on her chin and staring meditatively at his hands as he moved the bishop in further, chasing down her queen. "You've got five branches, and they're all Aburame, but they're all not blood related? And yours is the main family, right?"

"More or less," he replied. "My father is of the main bloodline, the original Aburame clan."

"But your mom is from the side clans, right?" She frowned at the board and moved a knight to block his bishop.

"She is from one of the smaller houses that were allied with our clan long ago and took the Aburame name when they also took up the kikkai infusions." He captured the knight with his bishop and set it aside. Now her queen stood alone, guarding the king and the only piece between her and checkmate. "But a purer bloodline does not make for a stronger shinobi, as my mother is fond of pointing out to my father."

Tenten giggled. "She sounds like a fun kinda gal."

"She is perhaps the most personable member of our family." Shino pushed his bishop to the side, giving Tenten an escape route. Still too soon to strike. The move earned him a suspicious glare, then she flicked an eyebrow in acceptance and moved her king to a safer location. "She claims that all the humor genes in our family migrated to the smaller clans in self defense."

"My mom was like that too," Tenten smiled, eyes again fixed on his hands but this time slightly unfocused, as if she were deep in thought. "My dad was kind of quiet, but the clearest memory I have of my mom is her laugh."

"They died when you were young, then." Shino moved his bishop forward and took her queen.

"Yeah," Tenten shrugged. "Kyuubi attack. Both of them." She moved one of the pawns guarding her king almost automatically. "But I was only a year and some months old. Lived on the village orphan system for a bit until I was made genin and could officially make my own way. You know how it –" She froze abruptly as Shino moved his bishop back one space.

"Check," he said quietly.

Tenten stared at him, and for a moment Shino wondered if perhaps the strategy had worked a little too well and he had made a tactical mistake in his dealings with her.

And then she burst into laughter. "Oh you…you…you competitive _jerk_!" She crowed, burying her face in her hands. "You got me talking about them after all, didn't you? Arg!" She threw her hands up dramatically, and then slumped back in her chair, giggling with defeat. "Hmph."

Shino settled his hands back in his pockets. "You are still in check," he said again as she swiped at her eyes.

"Yup," Tenten shook her head, and then her face lit up with a sudden smile. All her smiles were like that, Shino realized. They came out of nowhere, startlingly bright and perhaps a little too wide to be strictly feminine. But they were so…honest. It was a smile, he decided, that was well worth the effort to summon.

"That's check," she pointed at his bishop, and Shino drew his gaze down from her face to her finger with only mild reluctance. "But _this_, my sneaky friend," she moved her finger until it hovered over the rook she had moved earlier, the one he had ignored in favor of drawing out the game, and pushed it triumphantly three spaces forward. "_This_ is check_mate_."

She seemed to hold her breath as he contemplated the board. At length, one eyebrow crept up on his otherwise stoic face. "A very good defense," he agreed.

Tenten smiled.

**

"Holy cow, there's two people at my door in one day?"

"You are surprisingly popular."

"No kidding. Hang on, we're coming! Good thing I took those wires down after all. Uh, wow, you guys sure look official. Can I help you?"

"Aburame Shino?"

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid we have some bad news, sir."

"Your mother is dead."

**


	9. Interlude: What It Means

_Notes_: This is, among other things, early, rough, and plotless. I wrote it in about twenty minutes, but it was kinda therapeutic for me and I thought, what the hell, it allows me to move on with my story without getting bogged down in chapters of angsty emoting, which was a potential problem. i_like_angst, you're gonna love this one. And it's neither Shino nor Tenten, so that'll be…different.

_Goals_: Not today.

_Warnings_: Angst. An unusual, momentarily unbalanced POV given to introspective rambling. That isn't Shino.

Interlude

What It Means

When his aunt and mother had died, years ago in the second of the great shinobi wars, his father had stood beside him at the funeral and said, this is what it is to be shinobi.

He had pondered this statement, long after the mourners had gone home, after he himself had walked away from the memorial stone. _To be shinobi._ Some few years later, he had spoken of his thoughts to a young woman from the smallest branch of his clan. She had smiled quietly and listened to him ramble, and he had never spoken quite so much at once in his life until that day. It took many things to be shinobi, he told her. It took hours and hours of practice, years of careful meditation and self-control. It took a deeper understanding of yourself than most people were willing to have. It took will and strength and belief.

She had nodded once and reached out, plucking a brown spider from his web and holding it in her hand as she murmured, it takes more than that. And as their lives went on and he learned to listen to her, too, he realized how right she was.

It took more than simply a strong person to be shinobi. It took strong friends, teammates, partners in ways no lover could ever really be unless they, too, were shinobi. And to be shinobi was to feel strong, to feel connected, to witness miracles of power and grace beyond most imagining, and to work some of those miracles yourself. It meant never being alone even if no one else was with you, because somewhere, they _were_ with you. It meant a teammate who knew you from early childhood, who had seen you fight and bleed and cry and done it right along with you. It meant soft laughter at jokes only you and she understood, and a hand on your shoulder when a mission went horribly wrong or (worse) horribly right. It meant pain and power, strength and self, work and talent and any number of other extraordinary experiences.

And it meant loss.

That, Shibi knew, was the dark shadow in the soul of a shinobi. Everyone knew it, and unlike every other principle of shinobi ways, it was inarguable. It was the one truth beyond all others, the one fact that stood beyond philosophical debate and controversy.

There is always loss.

But merely knowing this fact, or even having dealt with it before, did not for one second make any of it easier.

Long years of control meant that even as grief sawed it's jagged edge through his chest and closed his throat with cold hands, his kikkai lay still inside his body. In fact, were it not for the near-painful beating of his own heart, he could very well have been no more than a statue or a corpse himself -

That was ridiculous. He was alive. He was alive, and responsible for a large and powerful clan of shinobi, almost all of whom were standing within his immediate vicinity as they watched his wife's name engraved on the memorial stone, only a few rows over from his mother's slightly faded name. A few feet away, his son stood as silently as he, watching from behind his thick black shades. Absently, Shibi noted that the boy was as tall as himself now, and layered even more heavily than most of the Aburame clan. He had thought Shino's affectation of more protective clothing than normal was a sign of his son's strong sense of survival. Such paranoia was common in a shinobi grown to genius at an early age. Aika had rolled her eyes and called it a phase.

The grief drew another brutal slash in his chest. A handful of kikkai stirred briefly around his heart, perhaps a vague attempt to protect their host from a pain they did not understand, but he quelled them instantly. There was nothing to fight, and no way to stop the pain. Only time could grant him that.

He opened his eyes again, and knew without turning that his son was now watching him. It was difficult to tell, even for him, what exactly Shino thought of the proceedings. Did he blame his father, or possibly his mother, or maybe even himself for the bad information, the unexpected attack, the failed mission that had killed his mother? Possibly he was thinking none of this, merely dealing with the grief in silence and solitude, as Shibi did.

No, perhaps not solitude. Beside his son, a scruffy young chunin and even scruffier dog were slumped against each other, scowling at the dirt and whining softly, respectively. They were just inside of arms' reach of Shino, edgy and unhappy with events, but unwilling to leave without their friend. Their teammate. On his other side, Shino's Hyuuga teammate stood with her hands clasped before her and dark head bowed respectfully. Her white eyes were open but sad, and she didn't touch Shino but Shibi could feel the waves of comfort and empathy she was offering him. Shino looked at neither of them, but Shibi could see the strength of their support wrapping around his son, helping to hold him together. It made him a little envious as he remembered the teammates he had lost long ago when he was younger still than Shino. He would have given much right then to have Miyato sling a rough arm over his shoulder and croak out that it was a hell of a thing, Buggie, hell of a thing. Or to hear Kira's sweet, fluttery voice as she told him things would be alright and Aika was in a better place, a kinder world.

He would have given more to see Aika's calm, practical smile as she told him to stop moping because it made him look old, and she was far too young to be married to an old man.

Far too young to be dead.

The name-carver was finished. He stood, dusted his small ceremonial chisel off, and bowed deeply to Shibi. He managed a shallow nod in reply, but the carvers never expected much response when they did their job. He backed away, still bowing, and left the family to their grief. Gently, one by one, the Aburame began drifting away into the afternoon sun, gone back to their duties, their families, their only slightly interrupted lives. At length only Shibi, his son, and his son's team remained.

No, there was one other. Another young woman stood a little further back, outside the close circle of Shino's team. She stood with her feet braced a little apart and her hands loosely twisted around a small bouquet of white daisies that she had woven together at the stems. She was slightly taller than the average kunoichi, slender as a sword and poised enough to speak volumes to an experienced observer like Shibi. Her hands were scarred from various weaponry, with what was probably a few powder-burns here and there. Her clothes were practical and sturdy, and her hair was neat and well-maintained.

Had she known his wife? He could not remember Aika speaking of any younger kunoichi. It was possible his wife had worked with this kunoichi before on some other mission, or trained her in what Aika fondly called 'woman's work' when she made a few rare teaching trips to the genin academy…

But the kunoichi was not looking at the memorial stone. She was looking at Shino's back, and while her face was composed her eyes were curiously sad, anxious, and slightly uncertain. The Inuzuka glanced back at her, and they exchanged a look that seemed almost…proprietary. The kunoichi stepped forward carefully, and the big dog wiggled to the side to allow her enter the circle and stand near Shino. His son made no move, did not seem to acknowledge her any more than his teammates, but when she reached over and put a hand tentatively on his arm, Shino did not shake her off.

Ah, Shibi thought, turning back to the memorial stone. Butterfly, you would have loved to see this. Proof that your theory was right, and our son's penchant for isolation would end soon enough. She's reasonably attractive, too, and from the look of her, a good kunoichi. And she's touching our son, and he's allowing it. More than allowing it, grateful for it. If you were here and this weren't a funeral, I'm certain you would get no end of enjoyment from harassing him about it. Actually, you probably would do it just because this _was_ a funeral, and you have always thought the Aburame were far too fond of indulging in…what was that phrase of yours? Stiff ritualistic pomposity.

But Aika was not present, could not tease Shino about the pretty girl or the overblown solemnity of the ceremony. And Shibi did not have the heart now to do it for her. Perhaps in time…

Time. Somehow, shinobi never seemed to have the right measure of time. Aika had not had enough, and without her, Shibi now had too much. But he would pass it, as was his duty to clan and kin. He would pass it, and it would in turn dull the blade that sawed at his heart.

Shibi stood by the grave of his wife, his partner, his friend, and waited for the grief to fade.


	10. In Blood

_Notes_: This chapter got a little out of control, length-wise. Oh well. I did what I could to cut down on the unimportant bits or the initial setup without, hopefully, sacrificing too much of the story flow. Also, a brief reminder: I don't do traditional Japanese titles like -san or -sama or whathaveyou. I'm not familiar enough with the etiquette to do it right.

_Goals_: To further the plot and set up for a big fight scene without being pedantic, verbose, or rushed.

_Warnings_: Some cussing, some posturing, some mood swinging. Oh, and some blood.

Chapter 9

In Blood

Some days, there was just no escaping the blood.

Tenten woke up that chilly autumn morning to find that the relatively minor wound from yesterday's mission had split open again, soaking her sheets red around the gash in her arm. Damn – she'd really liked those sheets, too. The cleanup and re-bandaging made her about ten minutes late to team training, and earned her one of Gai's patented speeches on the necessity of maintaining one's health for the sake of preserving one's contribution to the beauty of the world. Lee had struck Pose Number Seven: You Are My Precious Teammate! Neji had made some quiet remark about knowing better. Tenten had shrugged noncommittally at them all and launched a double-bladed spear at Neji's head.

An hour later the wound split open again, soaking Tenten's new shirt all the way down the sleeve. Which was what she got, Neji remarked from several feet away and behind a large tree, for neglecting it. Tenten debated attacking him again, just for the principle of the thing, then decided to concede this one with as much grace as she could. So she excused herself from morning training and headed grudgingly towards the hospital. In the waiting room, she watched a chunin from a few years ahead of her drag himself through the doors, looking exhausted and liberally splattered with blood. Tenten helped him stagger to a nearby triage medic-nin (well, her shirt was already ruined anyway), then waited patiently while a lower-ranked medic sealed up her arm.

All in all, she estimated about seventy-percent of her day thus far had involved enough blood to fill at least three adult bodies. And it wasn't even noon yet.

So when Sakura stopped her in the hospital hallway and told her the Hokage had a C-ranked mission for her that pretty much guaranteed no bloodshed, she was oddly grateful. She bought a plate of dango (from the vendor who reminded her a little of Gai's turtle) on her way through town, and was still wiping the last crumbs off as she strode into the Hokage's office.

"Escort mission," Tsunade said without glancing up. "A small unaffiliated shinobi clan from up in the north of the Fire Country. They're considering applying to be part of Konoha. You're to escort their emissary around the village, keep him out of trouble, and see if he's got anything interesting to us. From what I've heard already, the bloodline isn't too impressive, but the man they sent is supposed to be good. See if having him is worth the trouble of indoctrinating a whole clan."

"Yes, ma'am," Tenten bowed smartly and took the mission scroll, perusing it as she left the office and made her way towards the lower offices where her new charge waited. The picture in the scroll showed a dark-haired young man only a little older than Tenten, wearing plain, unremarkable clothes. He looked calmly into the camera with clear blue eyes and seemed almost to be smiling a little in a quiet sort of good humor. He was, admittedly, kind of cute. Maybe her day was looking up.

"Hey," a smooth voice said as she walked into the waiting room to meet her charge. "Now there's a pretty face I'd like to get to know better."

The Leaf chunin who stood escort duty for new arrivals until they were assigned a personal guide rolled his eyes at Tenten. "Taneda Shun," he said flatly, nodding towards the corner of the room. "This is Tenten, your assigned guide."

A tall, lanky shape unfolded gracefully from the chair in the corner and turned towards Tenten. "Good afternoon," he said politely, smiling and bowing a little. "I admit, I'm surprised. I knew Konoha had a reputation for strong shinobi, but I didn't know they had pretty ones, too."

Wow, Tenten thought. That was kind of a lame line, but he had a really nice smile. In fact, he looked even cuter up close than he had in the picture. His smooth, dark brown hair was slightly longer than in the picture, and tied back at his neck. He moved with the smooth grace of a dancer, or a very experienced shinobi. He also stood about six inches taller than Tenten and wore loose, practical, dark clothes and sturdy black boots that could easily conceal any number of weapons. Actually, she really liked those boots. Briefly she wondered where she could get some.

"Hi," she responded in kind, glancing at the duty chunin. The older man stared back at Tenten with a completely blank expression. He had sounded thoroughly disenchanted with the guest shinobi, but the guy seemed pleasant to Tenten. Ah well, maybe the duty chunin was having a rough day, too. "So, looks like it's my job to introduce you to Konoha," she told her charge.

"I've heard wonderful things," he replied. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Well, shall we?" she gestured to the door.

"By all means," Taneda Shun smiled again and matched his stride to Tenten's as they walked out the door.

* * *

"Actually, I thought he looked a more like a squirrel," Taneda remarked, tapping his chin thoughtfully with the empty dango stick.

"Turtle," Tenten said firmly, crunching down on the last of her own dango. "I know what I'm talking about. Trust me."

Taneda chuckled, a low, smooth sound that reminded her of something, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it at the moment. "As you say, Tenten," Taneda said, bowing his head in mock humility and interrupting her musing. "Far be it from me to contradict someone with as much experience as you."

"Over there are some of the common training grounds," Tenten waved a hand at the break in the trees ahead. "Nothing too fancy, just forest and fields and a couple cultivated water courses. Mostly genin and basic team practices happen out here."

"It's as lovely as the village," her charge remarked appreciatively, looking around at the sun-dappled forest. "But I must admit it doesn't seem terribly...dangerous. From a distance, I'd say this was more a nice place for a picnic than the grounds around a powerful shinobi village."

She shrugged. "It's just space to work. Any traps you'll find out here are likely set by genin instructors or by the genin themselves. The most dangerous thing in this forest," she cocked an eyebrow at him and grinned, "is us."

"In that case, I suppose that makes it plenty dangerous," he agreed. "Especially at a distance. You're a long-range fighter too, aren't you?"

Tenten nodded, pleased that Taneda had revealed something about his fighting style without any prodding from her. Seemed quiet guys like Shino had the right idea; sometimes just shutting up and letting the other person talk was the very best way to gain information.

"But still, no vicious wild animals?" Taneda went on, making a show of shaking his head. "No crazy bladed pendulums or deadly poison plants?" He clutched his heart. "I am somewhat disappointed."

"Nah," Tenten grinned. "We save that stuff for the Forest of Death."

"The Forest of _what_?"

"Oh, just a little place where we like to – hang on." Tenten held up a forestalling hand, head titled as she listened. Beside her, Taneda went silent and unmoving. Through the trees came the faint sounds of flesh against flesh, then someone said something that, though distant, was distinctly triumphant. Tenten smiled brightly at Taneda and gestured towards the noise. Sounded like someone was using the grounds that very moment. The man picked up on her silent invitation quickly and Tenten noted with approval that he followed her through the trees as silently and swiftly as if he had been born to it.

The sounds of battle got louder as they neared the third training field. "Hah!" A voice crowed, as something heavy slammed into the ground. "Take that, Fuzzy Brows!"

"Ah-hah! An excellent move, my worthy opponent! But now it is, of course, my turn!"

"Uh oh," Tenten laughed softly. "Sounds like Uzumaki Naruto and my teammate are having a taijutsu smack-down. This can only end in blood. And stitches."

"Uzumaki?" Taneda asked as they leaped smoothly in tandem down from the branches and into the third training field. Ahead of them, two brightly colored young men were smashing into each other and breaking away, weaving in and out of view around a series of thick wooden posts. "I don't recognize the name."

Tenten started to reply, but chose to throw herself backwards instead. A large orange blur just missed her left shoulder and crashed into the tree behind her. "Guh," said the blur, now resting rear-end up with his face half-pressed into the dirt and his feet dangling over his head. A large scrape across his chin oozed a thin trickle of blood down his neck. "Damn, that one hurt like a sonofa- oh, hey there." He focused wide blue eyes on the newcomers, then grinned cheerfully from between his sandals. "You guys come to join the party?"

"We were just passing through," Tenten told him as the blond flopped down into a less-painful-looking sprawl on the ground.

"Too bad, I'm kickin' ass all over the place today," he pumped a fist in the air as he clambered up to his feet, then opened the fist and waved across the field at his sparring partner. "Oy, Fuzzy Brows, your teammate's here. And...uh...some dude I don't know. Do I know you?" He brushed leaves out of his ragmop hair and squinted at the guest shinobi. "Well, pleased ta meet'cha, anyway! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the greatest shinobi in Konoha!"

The greatest shinobi in Konoha had a caterpillar above his left ear. Tenten resisted the urge to flick it off and settled for merely rolling her eyes and smiling a little ruefully at Taneda. But the man was staring at Uzumaki, looking strangely...irritated? Well, the Konoha shinobi wasn't exactly making a stellar impression. The caterpillar crept down from his hair and along the side of his face. "What the - ? Ick!" Naruto flinched and smacked at his face, turning his entire left cheek bright red and launching the caterpillar through the air.

Tenten caught it neatly in one hand and set it gently on a nearby tree. Red spines, she noted, and bigger than normal. I'll have to ask Shino what it is.

"Uh, right." Naruto rubbed his red cheek distractedly, then recovered admirably. "So, anyway, like I was saying. The Great Uzumaki Naruto, that's me! I was just out here having a smack-down with ol' Fuzzy Brows, teaching him some of the finer points of mortal combat and all." He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted across the field. "Hey, Fuzzy Brows, you coming over or what?"

"Yes, one moment," Lee responded, still in the trees on the other side of the grounds but making his way over in a much more dignified manner than Naruto. In the meantime, Tenten remembered her manners and opened her mouth to introduce her charge.

Taneda beat her to it. "Uzumaki? Never heard of you. _I_ am Taneda Shun," he said, tone distinctly chilly. "Of the Taneda Clan in the north country. My father was Taneda Jin, the Black Flash Cannon."

Huh. Well, looked like Taneda was much less friendly with male shinobi than females. Or maybe it was just Naruto...the blond _had_ almost smashed Taneda into a tree and had definitely not looked too impressive while doing it. All the same, the whole Mine-Is-Bigger thing Taneda was now practically oozing was kind of obnoxious. Unsurprisingly, Naruto responded instantly in kind, baring his teeth at the stranger's sudden arrogance and stepping forward with his fists clenched.

"Yeah? Well _I _never heard of _you_, either! Or your dad the Back Flasher, or whatever."

"Black Flash Cannon," Taneda corrected, tone positively icy now. "He is quite famous in the northern cities."

"Well this ain't some backwater northern town, is it?" Uzumaki snarled, even his hair bristling with irritation. He and Taneda were almost standing toe to toe now, glowering straight into each other's faces. "It's _Konoha_, which is way better."

In the back of her mind, Tenten thought, _men_. If they started peeing on trees or something, she was out of there, mission be damned. Taneda seemed about to spit back a reply when a new voice joined the conversation.

"Ah, Tenten, my precious teammate!" Lee stepped up from behind her, smiling brightly. "I see you have a new friend. This must be the visiting shinobi I heard was in town. Welcome, stranger, to Konoha! I am certain you will enjoy your time among us!" He struck his best Nice Guy Pose, teeth agleam and both thumbs up. There was a little extra ping in his smile that told Tenten he had heard every word of the previous exchange and was doing his best to diffuse the tense situation. Lee disliked rudeness and unpleasant scenes more than most people, possibly because he had been the focus of so many as a young child. Now he stepped to Tenten's side and offered a bandaged hand to the visitor,

Taneda raked the lanky green-clad shinobi with one brief, assessing look, then turned his head back to Naruto, clearly dismissing Lee. "As you say."

Whoa now, Tenten thought, her blood ever so slightly starting to boil. "This is Rock Lee," she said, enunciating each word with care. "My teammate and my friend."

"Never heard of him either. I thought Konoha was where all the really powerful shinobi went, but so far I've only seen a -"

Before he could elaborate further, a dark shape dropped out of the trees into the clearing. "Yo," the newcomer said, rising from his crouch.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto stamped a sandaled foot on the ground and jabbed an accusing finger at Taneda. "Who the hell is this guy, and how come the old lady's letting him wander around Konoha insulting people? He's got no right to talk about Konoha shinobi if he's just gonna talk about stuff he doesn't know about. Uh," the blond frowned in concentration as he mentally reviewed his words, then nodded curtly. "I mean, he can't just wander around being a jackass, right? That's gotta be a security risk at least, huh? Somebody should beat him up and kick him outta town."

"I would like to see you try," Taneda muttered darkly, and Naruto whirled to face him, fist outstretched and mouth already open to shout back his challenge. Well that was no good. Letting the visitor get in a fight with a Konoha shinobi definitely wasn't in Tenten's mission scroll, or her day planner for that matter. She had better things to do.

"He's not exactly wandering around," Tenten cut Uzumaki off, crossing her arms. "He's been properly escorted all day." Yeah, okay, the guy was turning out to be kind of a jerk, but he was still in her charge, thank you. It wasn't like she was letting him run free range.

Nara Shikamaru grimaced at them all and shrugged irritably. "Yeah, uh huh. Hey, Tenten, the Hokage would like you to bring the visitor back to her office now. She's got a few questions to ask him and then he'll get set up in the guest accommodations. And she wants _you_ to pick up a mission," he jerked his head at Uzumaki.

"Right, well, I'd love to hang out and kick your butt for being a stupid prick," the blond snarled at Taneda. "But I've actually got real work to do. See ya later, Fuzzy Brows, Tenten," he flipped a salute at his fellow Konoha shinobi, then left with Shikamaru, pointedly ignoring Taneda.

"We better head back," Tenten told her charge curtly. The man shrugged indifferently, still watching Naruto's back through narrow eyes. He didn't look half as cute when he scowled, Tenten thought to herself. Well, whatever. She glanced over at Lee, who was standing with his hands clasped behind his back and a troubled expression on his face. "You want to come along?"

"Regrettably, I have promised Neji I would meet him here for balance exercises," he replied. "But if you wish for some extra company, I will leave him a message to meet later on -"

"No, it's okay," she waved a hand at him. "You know how cranky he gets when we mess with the schedule. I'll just drop _him_ off," she pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the still scowling Taneda, no longer terribly concerned with manners, "then I'll swing back out here and join you guys."

"Then I will see you soon, Tenten!" Lee's smile was back with a vengeance. "Together we will achieve new heights of grace and balance. I personally will not leave this field until I have balanced on one hand – no, _one finger_ for one consecutive hour! If I cannot balance on one finger, I will have to do five hundred weighted jumps across the river course!" He struck Pose Number Eight: Time for Training! "And I hope you have a nice evening as well, Taneda Shun," he added politely to the tall man behind Tenten.

Taneda didn't even bother to glance at him. "You're a chatty one, aren't you?"

"See you," Tenten gritted between her teeth to Lee. "Let's go," she said shortly, brushing past the visitor. Definitely not cute, she thought sourly, glaring at him from the corner of her eye as she flexed her legs and leaped up into a nearby tree. Sure, he had nice hair, and his cheekbone structure was good. But his chin was actually kind of weak, now that she thought about it. And when he scowled it made his eyes squinty. And he was an arrogant arse.

She still kinda wanted those boots though.

* * *

They didn't speak on the way back to the Hokage's office, which was probably all to the better. Taneda's scowl let up to a more politely neutral expression, but he didn't bother to try flirting with her anymore. For her part, Tenten was more than ready to be finished with this particular mission, easy assignment or not. True, she hadn't really learned much about the guy's fighting style except that he considered himself a long-range combatant. But frankly, Konoha had more than enough competent long-range fighters. No need for one more self-important jerkoff who was a big fish from a little pond and thought that somehow made him _entitled_. If the Taneda clan really had anything to offer Konoha, someone else could discover the diamond in the rough, or whatever.

Tenten marched through the door of the building, heading straight for the duty chunin's desk. The duty chunin, the same man from the morning, eyed her knowingly and handed her the mission log without a word. Tenten signed the line under her mission slot and handed it back. "Here he is," she said flatly, then turned on his heel. "See you," she said shortly over her shoulder. She turned back around and found herself face to face with wide, pale eyes.

"Hello, Tenten," a soft voice said.

"Oh, hi, Hinata," Tenten's scowl eased a little. "Welcome back. Mission go okay?"

"Yes, thank you," Hinata offered her a small smile. Behind her, a tall shape suddenly loomed up out of the shadows of the hallway. Tenten felt the scowl slip away entirely and she smiled in greeting.

"Hey," she said. "Long time no see."

Shino nodded, coming to stand beside Hinata. "Some weeks," he agreed.

"Hey, I saw this weird looking caterpillar out in Field Three," Tenten began, but before she could say more, a deep voice cut her off from behind.

"A Hyuuga?" Taneda Shun had come up quietly to Tenten's side and was staring openly at Hinata's pale face. "You're a Hyuuga, aren't you? I've heard about those eyes." He leaned forward slightly, causing Hinata to blush and back up a step. He was smiling again, his voice low and charming. "I admit, I had expected them to be powerful, but I didn't know they were beautiful, too."

That line was even more lame the second time around, Tenten thought, scowl back on her face with a vengeance. "Taneda Shun," she told her fellow Leaf shinobi. "A guest in the village."

"H-hello," Hinata said very softly. Shino merely looked at him. Taneda lifted his head from his close scrutiny of Hinata's red face to stare back.

"My father was Taneda Jin, the Black Flash Cannon," he told Shino. He waved that name around like a red flag, Tenten thought. It's like his personal gauntlet. Too bad no one freaking cares.

Shino in particular was oblivious. In fact, he almost seemed to be ignoring the boastful man completely. No, that wasn't entirely true – even when she wasn't the focus of it, Tenten could still feel him doing that looking-at-you-without-looking trick again. Maybe it was the kikkai, she realized. Maybe that's what she was feeling – the kikkai peering at them from a million different angles while Shino stared off into the distance or something.

Whatever it was, apparently Taneda felt it too, and was unappreciative. "I said I'm Taneda Shun," he reiterated aggressively, stepping right up to Shino. "Who are you?"

The silence stretched on a beat longer than was polite. Taneda opened his mouth to say something else, but just before he could Shino suddenly spoke, cutting him off. "Aburame Shino," he said simply, and a handful of kikkai scurried briefly across his cheek and down into his collar.

Taneda's eyes narrowed. "Aburame. I've heard that name. Your clan fought with the Kamizuru of the Hidden Stone Village some time ago." The man's voice, while still aggressive, had taken on a much more calculating tone than he had with Naruto or Lee. He swept Shino with the same assessing glance he had used on Lee, then crossed his arms. "Then again, the Kamizuru are a pathetic bunch of bee-keepers. And you don't even look half so impressive as they claim."

Hinata's gentle face hardened slightly, though the blush stayed firmly in place. Tenten saw her shoulders straighten and her hands unclench from against her chest and knew that while the sweet-tempered Hyuuga was a forgiving type of person, some things were crossing the line. Tenten caught her gaze and nodded slightly. I'll hold him, she thought to Hinata, if you punch.

For his own part, Shino seemed to pay Taneda as much attention as a fly on the wall. No, that was untrue, Shino would probably pay a fly far more attention than he was giving Taneda. The blunt refusal to rise to his challenge only served to rankle the man more. "I once beat three of the Kamizuru without breaking a sweat," he went on. "And since that's your only apparent claim to fame, it doesn't say much about your clan, does it?"

"Shino is a good shinobi," Hinata said, and though her voice was still soft, it neither stuttered nor left any room for argument.

"It's kind of you to defend your friend," Taneda responded, looking less charming and more scornful at her now. "But if he can't even defend himself verbally, he won't last long in a real fight."

"Okay, _look,_" Tenten spoke up, reaching the end of her patience at last. "Why don't you just go check in with the duty chunin and get your quarters assigned, alright? This is a business office, and no one has time to play your little games anymore."

Taneda turned the full force of his sneer at her, no longer even remotely flirting. "Why should I bother sticking around? I came to see if the Hidden Leaf had as many powerful shinobi as all the stories claim, but so far I've only seen a rabble of no-name kids and over-inflated bastards who can't even fight with words, let alone weapons." He jerked his weak little chin at Shino conteptuously. "I ought to kill him now just to prove that-"

The afternoon sun glinted on the blade of Tenten's kunai as it arced through the air. Behind her, the duty chunin shouted something, and to her left both Hinata and Shino shifted back, Shino's hands outstretched and Hinata's poised gracefully. Tenten noticed all this only peripherally, however. The majority of her attention was on Taneda, who had thrown himself out of her range the moment she had drawn the weapon, but he hadn't been able to entirely avoid the deadly steel.

Blood arced from where her blade sliced through the flesh of his left hand and splattered on the wooden floor of the Hokage's office.

"Do that again," Taneda said softly, holding his bleeding palm towards her, mocking, dangerous. "I dare you."

"When I asked you to learn about his fighting style," the Hokage said from the doorway, "I did not expect you to do it in my dispatch office."

"I apologize, ma'am," Tenten gritted between her teeth. She lowered her kunai slowly, eyes still on Taneda. Beside her, Hinata also dropped out of her Eight-Trigrams stance and bowed her head abashedly to the Hokage. Only Shino stood unmoving for a long moment, hands still outstretched towards the stranger. Taneda also stayed as he was, bleeding hand out in challenge, the other behind his back and hidden from sight.

"Konoha's hospitality is somewhat less than I expected," Taneda told the Hokage rudely. "But then, a lot of the things I've heard about this village were apparently over-exaggerated."

"Hmm." Tsunade leaned on the door frame, looking supremely unimpressed. "I take it you do not think my shinobi measure up to your standards of excellence, then."

"I haven't met anyone today that I couldn't kill in a heartbeat if I so desired," Taneda sneered. "And only a couple who would even be worth that small amount of time."

"Oh?" Tsunade's lips curved slightly into a predatory little smile. "Anyone?"

Taneda curled his own lip at her. "Anyone."

He's making a seal behind his back, Tenten thought in alarm. He's actually going to _attack the Hokage!_

"I'd like to see that," the Hokage's smile grew a little bigger, and a little more dangerous. "Tell you what. How about you show us all how tough you are."

"Gladly," Taneda's legs tensed ever so slightly, and Tenten slid her finger along the sharp edge of her weapon scroll, drawing a drop of blood and pressing it to the paper. Shino stood as unmoving as before, and Hinata had brought her hands back up into a defensive position. The duty chunin had already drawn a handful of serrated throwing knives. The Hokage alone stood unarmed and seemingly unprepared for battle.

"Then tomorrow I invite you to be in the arena at noon," she said, raising one dangerously sharp finger and pointing it at Taneda's chest. "Then you can show us all what the son of the Black Flash Cannon can do, eh?"

"And my opponent?" Taneda was positively leering at Tsunade now, eyes flicking down at her exposed chest, her painted nails, and her high heels in open disdain.

"Me," Tenten practically spit at him. "After all," she smirked and glanced at his bleeding hand. "I'd hate to leave a job unfinished."

"Well then, that's settled," Tsunade pushed casually off the doorframe. "Sakura."

The pink-haired kunoichi materialized from the hallway behind the Hokage, her fists falling to her sides. Tenten felt a little jolt as she realized just how close this had come to being a real bloodbath today. "Come this way, please," Sakura said cooly to Taneda. "Your quarters have been prepared. I am on duty tonight," she tilted her head and smiled sweetly at the visiting nin. "And I will be escorting you to the arena tomorrow. In fact, for the remainder of your stay in Konoha," she added, her smile unchanged but her tone turning suddenly steely. "I will personally see to you."

Taneda said nothing, but followed the medic out of the room.

"Tenten," Tsunade said once they were gone, examining her nails.

"Yes, Hokage."

"I expect my shinobi to have better control of their tempers," the Hokage glanced up and met the younger kunoichi's eyes. "I expect you to refrain from beating up guests, even petty little brats, in my office."

Tenten had the grace to look a little ashamed, despite her still boiling blood. "Yes ma'am."

"However," the Hokage said over her shoulder as she turned to leave the room. "What you do to petty little brats in the arena is another matter entirely."

This time Tenten met her gaze without shame. "Yes ma'am."

"Well," the duty chunin spoke first in the silence. "I better get that blood up off the floor."

**

"Your finger is bleeding."

"Yeah, I know. It's...sometimes there really is just no escape, is there?"

"T-tenten?"

"Nothing. Never mind. I'm fine. See you guys later. Tomorrow."

**

* * *

AN: If you thought this chapter mentioned blood a lot, you A) were right, and B) ain't seen nothin' yet.


	11. Control

_Notes_: I had waaaay too much fun writing this, which is why it got so insanely long. Hell, this chapter is practically an entire fic unto itself. Hope it's not too much. It didn't quite turn out the way I'm sure most people expected it to, either, but I make no apologies for that. By the by, feel free to google any of the weapons I mentioned in Tenten's arsenal. Some of them are really cool. Also, I've been on kind of an Ino kick lately, and it shows.

_Goals_: A good fight scene, with some fun cameos from the Naruto cast.

_Warnings_: Blood, violence, and swearing. It's a fight scene, what do you expect?

* * *

Chapter 10

Control

Gai and Lee were already in Pose Number Three: You Can Do It! when Tenten arrived back at the training grounds. Word traveled fast in a shinobi village - not that they needed gossip to clue them when their usually good-natured friend strode into the clearing practically vibrating with Fury and Wrath that promised Pain, ye verily, unto total Annihilation. Lee, who was younger and therefore more reckless, spoke first. "Congratulations on finding a worthy opponent, Tenten! Surely this will be a great opportunity to show your true –"

With a snap of her wrist, Tenten imbedded fifteen shuriken in the post just beyond Lee's right shoulder. "What an _asshole_!" She exploded.

Lee stayed very still. Gai coughed quietly from where he stood, several feet to the left of where he'd been when she'd first arrived, and tried to look like he'd been there all along.

"Stop that," Neji said as he floated gracefully down from the branch above her. "You are just working yourself up more."

Gai flashed her a brilliant smile and two big thumbs up. "While I applaud your passion, Tenten, I must agree with Neji's cool insight –"

Tenten flicked her fingers again and a kyoketsu buried itself blade first into the dead center of the assorted shuriken. Gai's smile faltered briefly, but he bravely opened his mouth to try again.

"I cannot believe I went around almost all day with that total jerk," she cut him off, fingers winding angrily through the kyoketsu's thin chain, "and I was nice to him and everything and then he went and said that…that _bullshit_ about Lee and Naruto and the Hokage and Shino and…argh!"

Neji leaned against his tree, arms crossed, face impassive (although his gaze stayed firmly on Tenten's hands.) Lee's elbows were a little stiff from the awkward angle of Pose Number Three (Gai-sensei's Poses of Truth, Beauty, and the Shinobi Way were never meant to be held for very long, because they were designed for youth and fluidity and grace but not necessarily comfort). All the same, he held them rock steady as he spoke in his best soothing voice. "Perhaps he was merely feeling a little out of place and was unsure how to-"

Tenten yanked the thin metal chain, sending the blade singing back into her hand, then threw it again. This time it whipped past Lee's left cheek in a deadly arc and neatly clipped all fifteen of the shuriken. The force of the blow knocked the partially embedded weapons out of the wood, and they fell to the ground with a cheerful tinkling sound. "Son of a _bitch_," she snarled.

"My teammate would take issue with that insult," a new voice interjected from the shadows of the trees.

"Gimme a second to think up a better cussword, then," she replied, turning to look back at the newcomer over her shoulder.

"Is it necessary to cuss at all?"

Tenten snorted and stomped over to her fallen shuriken without looking up. "Oh come on, you were there. You saw what that bastard did and said."

"I saw," Shino stepped into the clearing, nodding to the rest of her team, "how easily you allowed him to find a hole in your mental defenses."

"Here, I got one: he's a – wait, how easily I _what?" _She whirled on her heel and leveled a glare at the hooded man, eyes narrow and cheeks starting to flush red. "And what, exactly," she said slowly, her voice dropping into an alarmingly low tone, "was _that_ supposed to mean?"

Suddenly, Lee found himself with a strong, hearty arm clamped around his shoulders. Nearby, Neji was frowning slightly as another arm pinned him tightly. Between them, Gai's smile was as wide and white and energetic as ever as he all but towed them across the field. "Come, my powerful and undaunted young friends!" he boomed, perhaps a little too quickly. "I have just been struck with great inspiration for our balancing exercises! Let us put them to good use immediately!"

"But, Captain-" Lee began, attempting to look back over the muscled green shoulder of his teacher and leader. "I have the distinct impression of danger. Should we leave our teammate when she is so…ah… vulnerable?"

"Do you want to be in the blast radius when she goes thermal?" Neji asked, a tad sulkily as he twisted neatly out of Gai's grasp. "If Aburame wants to pick a fight with her, let him."

"Some things," Gai agreed sagely, "must be allowed to run their own course."

* * *

"How did you give him the key to your defenses?" Shino's head tilted down a little, somehow drawing deeper into the shadow of his hood. It was an unnecessary move – the setting sun was almost directly behind him by that point, making it difficult for her to see him anyway. Somehow, this only served to irritate Tenten further. "You became angry when he insulted people," Shino told her flatly. "And you allowed him to see that anger."

"He was a rude little prick long before I snapped at him!" Tenten shot back, mentally willing her fists to unclench. "Besides, what does it matter now? Tomorrow I'll kick his scrawny butt and he'll go home crying. And if you," she jabbed a finger at him accusingly, "aren't going to say anything helpful, you can do the same."

He regarded her outstretched finger. "Cry?"

"No, go home – oh!" Tenten dropped her hand in frustration. "Forget it, okay?" He was right, though, the rational part of her mind told her. She was probably overreacting, letting her annoyance at the visiting shinobi work itself up into a bigger lather than she should. Still, it had been kind of a rotten day, and the guy had been a total disappointment as well as shockingly obnoxious, and now here was someone she _thought_ was her friend being weird and grumpy at her like this was all her fault and…."And what are you even doing here anyway?" she continued the thought out loud. "It's not like this is any of your business."

Shino didn't move, but something in his stance seemed to turn the evening-cool air a few degrees chillier than before. "You entangled yourself in a potentially lethal fight with an unknown quantity for the sake of some irrational concept on my behalf," he said sharply. "That makes it very much my business."

Tenten stared at him. "What the hell are you talking about? What irrational concept?"

"Neither I nor my clan require your help in preserving our name."

"_What_?" Vaguely, Tenten was aware that she was definitely shouting now, and despite her best efforts, her fists were clenched anyway. But at this particular moment, she did not care "This isn't about that!" she exploded. "It's not about defending your…your _honor,_ or your clan's honor, or even _you_."

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to lower her voice. "I'm not so arrogant or stupid to think that you or your family needs someone like me to do that anyway," she bit out, pacing across the clearing irritably. "Look, it's one thing when he's just some arrogant prick insulting your abilities or your bloodline or whatever. But he took it too far." She whirled, stamped back across the clearing until she was inches from his face. "He went after _you."_ This time she didn't just point, she smashed her finger into his chest, in case he had any doubts who she meant. "And it wasn't just an insult, it was a threat." Again, she pushed her finger against the heavy green cloth of his long sweatshirt, hard. "It was a threat to you and it was a threat to Konoha, and that," she jerked her hand away and made a decisive cutting motion through the air, "I _will not _tolerate."

"You are letting your emotions direct your actions," he said, watching her turn to pace some more. "You allowed him to provoke you into a fight that he is better equipped to win."

That stopped her in her tracks.

So that was it.

He wasn't here because he thought she was getting a little high-handed on his account. He was here because he had done the math and decided she was going to get herself killed. He'd been fighting with and alongside her for almost a year now, he was a hailed genius and a master of analysis. And he thought she was going to lose. Something in Tenten – something a little dark and jealous that normally slept deep down in the belly of her subconscious – stirred and started to growl. She glared at his face but saw only her own narrow eyes and tense jaw reflected in his glasses.

"Better equipped," she repeated tightly.

"The Taneda clan does have some reputation in the north." If Shino picked up on any of the warnings in Tenten's tone, he gave no sign of it. "His father had a reportedly powerful bloodline limit that his son has developed into a very dangerous technique."

"So he's a notorious fighter with a fancy bloodline and I'm a nameless chunin with no special abilities," she said, flinging the words at him like shuriken and nearly snarling as they seemed to whistle right past him without striking.

"Why would I say these things? I am not trying to hurt you," he took a step forward, and for a moment she actually thought he was going to pull his hand from his pocket and grab her arm. But he didn't, merely stepped a little closer and regarded her some more. "He will beat you," Shino continued. "He is older, more experienced, and yes, more powerful. Forfeiting this match will hurt your pride, but you are a good enough judge of yourself to know that fighting him as you are will hurt more than that."

"As I am." Tenten took a step back. Almost ten years a kunoichi, and in her whole vast arsenal, Shino didn't see one thing that he thought worthy of beating an obnoxious pit-stain like Taneda Shun. An image of Lee's concerned face and the slight strain in even Gai's encouraging smile flashed in her mind. Neji's reaction had more closely mirrored Shino's – calm, logical, impassive to the untrained eye – but there was still that note of displeasure, the faint sense that she had done something foolish. Four geniuses (in one respect or another) who all thought she was, in a word, weak.

Well, maybe it was time for the geniuses to learn a lesson or two.

"Okay," she said at last, and even she could hear the quiet fury rippling in her voice. "You place your bets where you want. Go ahead and think I'm just an arrogant idiot who can't let an insult go." Tenten turned on her heel and marched out of the clearing, blood still boiling. "But for the record," she called back over her shoulder. "This isn't going to go how you think it is. I'm angry, not retarded."

* * *

Word got around fast in a shinobi village. When Shino arrived at the arena the next morning, he found the majority of Konoha crammed into the high stands around the open battle space. Most of the crowd seemed to be there for the sake of the entertainment – there was a healthy betting pool going on the lower levels, and several vendors moving up and down the stands. Quite the party for a single fight.

But there were several individuals in the audience that were definitely not there for the entertainment value. There were a handful of serious-looking evaluators grouped quietly near the Hokage's box; Academy instructors, quality control administrators, and village elders, all of whom had a very vested interest in measuring a Konoha shinobi' abilities against a freelance outsider. Another serious (if not nearly as quiet) group of individuals sat about halfway down the stands near the fighters' entrance: pale eyes, sharp teeth, blond, grumpy, and of course, green. His team, Tenten's team, and a handful of others in their generation apparently had come to show their support for their comrade in arms. "After all," Kiba bellowed to Shino over the general roar of the crowd, "we want see one of ours kick that loser's ass to the moon!"

"Yeah!" Naruto jammed a fist into the air. "She's gonna beat the crap outta that stupid little snot! Konoha shinobi are way better than some creep-face Blue Fish Crapper!"

"Black Flash Cannon, dummy," Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "It's not that hard to remember."

"It's kind of a pity, though," Ino sighed, leaning forward to rest her folded arms on Chouji's head as he sat munching in the row in front of her. "I mean, I heard he was a jerk, but you gotta admit the man is hot."

Shino ignored the general uproar that statement caused and moved to sit by Hinata. She offered him a quiet smile that had just an edge of nervousness behind it. She flicked her wide eyes up at the grim evaluators, and the Hokage who by contrast lounged in her seat with one leg hooked indolently over the arm rest. "It's like a…a trial," she murmured.

"Hm."

"Heh," Kiba snorted as he plopped down on Shino's other side and Akamaru wiggled his large white body between Kiba's knees and panted happily. "They're not the judges I'd be worried about, if I were her," he smirked. Shino frowned at him, knowing that Kiba was well adapted to reading those expressions on him without having to see his face. But the dog nin merely grinned toothily at him. "Aw c'mon," he flapped a hand at the stands. "Like it's not kinda obvious."

Shino scanned the crowd, his eyes confirming what his kikkai had told him the moment he arrived. Throughout the crowd, several heavily-coated figures sat in small groups of two or three, faces mostly hidden, sunglasses flashing in the afternoon sun. He had expected some to be there, of course. He had been unprepared for the actual count, however.

He had not expected the entire Aburame clan to be come.

"I mean, wasn't your dad even on a mission?" Kiba scratched his head. "And I swear that one lady from the, uh, Sita branch, your aunt? Doesn't she have like a thing about big crowds? And even she's here, I can smell her over there with your gramps."

"Maybe they're just interested in the fight," Hinata offered.

"Yeah, three guesses why," Kiba smirked at Shino, who merely nodded to the fighters' entrance.

Around them, the crowd went quiet with anticipation, then erupted in cheering as both combatants appeared. Taneda strode out into the arena, smiling and waving at the crowd. "Hey, don't cheer for that jerkoff!" Naruto was yelling from further down Shino's row. "Traitors!"

"They probably bet on him to win," Shikamaru said darkly.

"And he's cute," Ino added, pointing to a group of young girls who were waving and cheering loudly. Naruto made a gagging noise, and Sakura beaned him smartly on the head, but before she could reprimand him further, Tenten walked smoothly into the arena.

She moved to stand a few feet from Taneda, looking much more serious and professional than her opponent. She did smile and wave a little at the suddenly explosively loud group of shinobi all around Shino, but instantly her face was all business as Taneda turned to sneer at her. She responded by sweeping him with a brief, assessing look, then turned away and moved towards her side of the arena. "That's right!" Ino shouted approvingly, using Chouji's head to lever herself higher. "Give 'im the brush off, girl!"

Taneda spat at the ground, then turned on his heel and marched to the opposite side. When they turned to face each other, his sneer was gone and his face was a cold, emotionless mask. Tenten merely looked calm.

"The fight goes until either combatant gives up, is knocked unconscious, or is killed," the referee said from the center of the arena. "There is no prize for this fight, nor are you being graded or judged on your performance."

"Right," Kiba snorted derisively.

"You may not leave the arena, and you may not involve anyone else in the fight," the referee finished. He jumped back until he was perched on the walls of the arena, and raised his hand. "Begin!"

"Give up, girl," Taneda said loudly, crouching and holding up his bandaged hand towards her, the other hidden behind his back. "I am the son of the Black-"

Behind him, Tenten dug her hand into his hair and pulled. The man fell back, but twisted in the air before he could land on the wakizashi she held in her other hand. He used the momentum to try and slam a fist into her throat, but she was already several feet away, the wakizashi already vanished to be replaced with two wickedly sharp wind-and-fire wheels. Anger flashed across Taneda's expression – he had obviously been about to start well-rehearsed speech about his life-story and goals and why he would never lose to someone like her and so on, and Tenten's refusal to let him had rained on his parade.

"That's my girl!" Ino all but screamed, practically standing on Chouji's head now as she cheered.

"You've had like one mission with her," Shikamaru grumbled, pulling her back down. "How does that make her your girl?"

"We had ice cream together and we talked about boys," Ino shot back, her tone indicating that her genius teammate was clearly an idiot. "That makes us practically sisters."

"So you don't want to talk?" Taneda yelled, balling his outstretched hand into a fist. "Fine with _me_!" He practically shouted the last word, and thrust his arm forward. There was a sound like a giant fuse hissing, and a cloud of blue-black smoke billowed up around Taneda's arm.

Which flew across the arena and exploded in Tenten's face.

"Tenten!" Lee shouted, springing from his seat. He looked poised to leap into the arena immediately, and only Neji's hand clamped around his wrist seemed to be holding him back.

"Holy _shit_!" Kiba barked, and Akamaru growled. "Did his _arm _just _come off?"_

Hinata's hands were clasped tightly in her lap, and Neji shifted his weight. The rest of the crowd, however, struggled to see through the smoke and dust that temporarily filled the arena. Shino leaned forward. Briefly, he felt a surge of anger that his kikkai could not get close enough to the combatants to keep better track of her, but he dismissed that thought as immaterial.

The flames of the explosion blew themselves out quickly enough, but the heavy black smoke swirled for a long time before it cleared. When it dissipated at last, Taneda Shun stood in the center of the arena, smirking. He stretched his shoulders languidly, showing off his right arm that had regenerated almost immediately.

A fifteen foot crater smoked gently where Tenten had stood.

Taneda turned to the Hokage's box. "In a heartbeat," he called smugly.

The Hokage raised one manicured finger into the air. Then, almost lazily, she pointed. Taneda started to turn his head to see what she was pointing -

Tenten slammed into Taneda's back feet first. The man went flying, rolled gracelessly across the ground, and landed on his back, arms crossed before his face and straining to block the sharp blades of her wind-and-fire wheels. Tenten jumped back and away from him, but sent one wheel flying at his neck as she spun to dodge his roundhouse kick. Taneda threw up his right arm and the spinning wheel glanced off his forearm with a clang.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto reached across Sakura to snag the Hyuuga's sleeve, though his eyes never left the arena. "What the hell's that guy made of, iron or something?"

Hinata turned a brilliant shade of red, then swallowed. "J-just his arm, I think. It's, um, it's reinforced with some k-kind of metal."

"Hey, watch that hand, perv!" Sakura smacked her teammate's arm away from her chest and Hinata's sleeve, almost sending him flying across the stands.

Tenten's second wheel flashed in the sun as it spun at Taneda's ankles, but the man leaped over it. She's got him, Shino thought with grim satisfaction. Sure enough, Tenten yanked the thin wire connecting the wheel to her hand, bringing it whirling towards Taneda's back as he arced through the air. As he spun to counter it with his right arm, she rolled across the dirt underneath him, snatching up her first wheel and flinging it upward. Taneda knocked the second wheel aside, but the wheel from the ground came too fast and from too extreme of an angle for him to sufficiently block it in time. He managed to avoid getting his leg sliced off, but the flame-shaped blades on the wheel's circumference sliced through his left boot, almost cutting it entirely off.

"Aw, I liked those boots," Sakura sighed.

"Where did he get them, you think?" Ino wondered.

"Women," Shikamaru grunted.

Taneda hit the ground just as Tenten rolled back to her feet. The wind-and-fire wheels lay scattered on the ground nearby again, one shattered from the impact with Taneda's arm and the other with a scrap of black leather hanging on it's jagged edge. Tenten reached for her scroll, but before she could summon anything, Taneda raised his arms at her and fired again. He small cloud of black smoke bloomed around his right arm as the limb detached and hurtled towards Tenten. The kunoichi was already leaping to the side, twisting to throw a francisca at his head.

The missile swerved in the air and followed her. Shino saw the brief look of surprise and horror on Tenten's face, a moment before she was engulfed in flame and smoke.

This time, Neji had to grab Lee's shoulders and slam him back into his seat, and Sakura belted Naruto on the head for the series of extremely graphic curses he let loose.

Shino felt Hinata's soft hand on his arm and Kiba's rougher grip on his shoulder and realized that several kikkai were seething across his chest and down his arms with agitation. Irritably, he ordered them back to the hive and scanned the smoky arena.

There she was – kneeling against the damaged wall and breathing heavily. She was covered in dirt, her hair had come loose from one of her buns, and her right leg was bleeding from multiple cuts. "It's okay," Hinata murmured soothingly. "She diverted it in time."

"Diverted?" Kiba frowned. "You mean dodged?"

"No," Neji answered, voice carefully level. "She threw a shuriken infused with some of her chakra. The missile locked on to the shuriken instead of her."

"So his arm can come off and follow people's chakra?" Naruto scratched his head. "What a weirdo."

"It still looks like she got hit," Kiba grunted.

"She was in the blast radius," Neji explained. "Though far enough from the center to avoid major injury."

"Avoid major injury? Do you _not_ see all that blood all over her leg?"

"Shrapnel," Shikamaru shrugged.

"The cuts aren't deep," Sakura said, with the confident air of a professional. "The blood is the wrong color for major artery damage, and from the way she's moving it doesn't look like any tendons or ligaments were cut."

"That won't work again," Taneda shouted from across the arena, watching as Tenten pushed herself back to her feet. "All I have to do is adjust my seeker to your body's chakra level, and then no decoy could ever have enough chakra to fool my missiles again."

Tenten ignored him, still leaning on the wall and breathing deeply. Her eyes were closed, her head was down, and she seemed unaware of the world around her. Trying to get control of the pain, Shino realized. The blast probably disoriented her too. She was lucky Taneda was such a boastful idiot who preferred to stroke his own ego rather than finish things quickly.

Taneda raised his right arm again. "You should feel honored," he yelled. "I've never had to shoot someone more than once before. I guess you're just a tough little bitch to kill, eh?"

"Look out!" Lee shouted, as the black smoke flashed and the missile shot across the arena.

Tenten opened her eyes, and moved.

The missile swerved and followed as she jumped straight up in the air. She tapped a foot against the top of the wall, almost level with the bottom rows of the stands, and shot in towards the center of the arena. The missile followed again, looking almost comical as it skid in the air and angled after her.

Taneda smirked as she flew towards him, his missile close on her heels. "Nice try," he shouted, and raised his left arm. Greenish-grey smoke blossomed around it, and then his left arm erupted towards her face.

"She's caught!" Kiba snarled.

"No," Shino replied.

Tenten _twisted._

The two missiles hit each other head-on. The walls of the arena shook slightly at the blast, and everyone in the lower seats gasped as the shock wave slammed over them in a gust of hot air and dust.

Taneda gaped at Tenten as she stood calmly on an uprooted tree stump a few feet away. A naginata stood quivering in the ground behind him, splattered with blood from where it had sliced through his side. Dumbly, Taneda looked down at the ragged gouge the spear had made in his ribcage and the blood soaking his shirt.

"How the _hell_ did she do that?" Kiba demanded. "She changed her trajectory in mid-freaking-air! She didn't even use a wire or a chain or a clone or _anything_!"

Lee's teeth gleamed madly in the sunlight. "Ah _hah_!" he proclaimed grandly, bouncing out of his seat and striking some highly ridiculous and slightly uncomfortable-looking pose. "That is one of the secrets of my strong and vibrant teammate! A technique she has mastered with the wise and powerful guidance of our beloved sensei, who is-"

"Gai taught her," Neji interrupted.

"GO TENTEN!" Naruto roared, fists pumping and smile almost as painfully bright as Lee's. "KICK HIS ASS!"

Taneda was not nearly as impressed. "Bitch!" he spat, and raised his arms again. "You think this is over yet? You think you can beat me with your fancy little gymnastics? I'm not done with you yet! And when I _am_ done, I'm going to kill all your precious little friends, too. All those worthless guys who think they're shinobi." Taneda curled his hands into fists and snarled. "You can dodge and jump around all you want, but I'm going to kill you and all your little boyfriends, too. You can't even _touch_ me, you…you little _whore!_"

Shino heard several of the others around him yelling in outrage, even proper Haruno Sakura, but the roaring blood in his ears drowned out the words. Get a grip, he told himself firmly. Insults means Taneda's worried, means he's angry, means he's off guard. She's going to win. She's going to kill him, if he keeps it up.

And if she doesn't, a small, dark voice in the back of his mind whispered, it's a long, dangerous trip back to the north, isn't it? And Taneda Shun traveled alone.

"Dodge _this!"_ Taneda screamed, and fired.

Into the stands.

Shino's arms were outstretched before he was fully aware of standing up, and the kikkai were boiling out of his body in a great black cloud. Akamaru was already midair, Kiba on his back as they hurled themselves at the incoming missile. Hinata's hands were poised and glowing subtly, and on the other side of Kiba's now empty seat, so were Neji's. That was all Shino had time to register when abruptly the missile veered off, smashing harmlessly into the ground in the arena.

Kiba and Akamaru landed heavily amongst the people in the targeted stands, and several of the stunned civilians latched on to them in terror. Suddenly, they simultaneously released the dog and his shinobi and collectively sat down. Kiba stared at them, bewildered, but Shino saw Ino lowering her hands. Crowd control, he thought. Useful. All of this registered only with a small part of his mind – the rest was occupied with the arena.

Tenten released the end of the shattered chain she had used to hook the missile in flight. Her fingers were cut and bloody where the links had dug into the flesh as she redirected it's path, away from the crowds. Her face was no longer calm.

"Taneda Shun," the Hokage's voice rang out from her box, silencing the last few frightened screams and furious shouts of the crowd. "You have broken the rules of the arena, and by attacking the citizens of my village, you have renounced any protection your status as a guest may have offered you." Tsunade rose from her chair, one hand on her hip.

"Tenten," she said. "End it."

Taneda barked a laugh, a short, ugly sound. "That little bitch can't-"

He gagged as something dark shot by his face.

She had scored a direct hit, slicing through the man's left cheek, across his upper lip, and over to the right side of his jaw. "Shit," Shino heard Naruto say. "That's more'n an ugly scar, that's a freaking debilitating blow." Sakura nodded gravely. From the amount of blood and the intense pain on Taneda's face, it was likely she had struck his tongue, too. Debilitating indeed.

Tenten came to rest a few feet outside her opponent's reach, and looked him right in the eye. Her clear voice carried all the way up to the top of the arena. "You," she said simply, "talk too much."

Then she closed her eyes and moved into a stance Shino had never seen before.

"Hm," Neji said quietly. "_That_ move."

"What is that?" Chouji asked, his hands shrunk back to normal size again and buried deep in a potato chip bag.

"A move she invented herself, a few months ago," Lee explained. "She calls it Meatgrinder. I'm not sure where the inspiration came from, but to use it now means…" he trailed off, uncharacteristically quiet.

"Means what?" Ino asked tensely, gripping Chouji's hair as she leaned forward.

"It means," Neji said, "that she is very angry. And this fight is over."

* * *

Tenten closed her eyes and thought, this is my home. A few feet away stood a man who had first derided, then openly scorned her home, her people, her family and friends.

Tenten closed her eyes and thought, this man is a threat. He had attacked innocent civilians, uninvolved shinobi, broken the rules of hospitality and honor. Nobody did that to her village.

Tenten closed her eyes and thought, end it. Use that move, that technique that you never thought to use against a single person before. They won't look at you the same afterwards, but that doesn't matter.

How dare he.

How _dare_ he?

Tenten opened her eyes and thought, _now._

For a moment, the world around Tenten came into complete, perfect focus. She heard the gentle murmuring of the crowd. She saw the vicious, bloodstained snarl on Taneda's face give way to suspicion, then fear. She could smell the sharp tang of blood so clearly that she could almost taste it, too. She felt the air around her still, as if the world were holding it's breath as she molded her chakra. A handful of leaves tumbled gently from the trees at the far end of the arena, the earth groaned beneath her enemy's feet, and her body tingled where a thousand tiny wires were bound to her skin with her chakra. It was like all five of her senses had combined forces to turn her entire body into one seamless, perfectly tuned sensor. For just a moment, Tenten saw and heard and smelled and _felt_.

Then she closed her eyes, and let it go.

The world seemed to narrow and disappear, and then narrow down some more until nothing at all existed except the razor fine wires that coiled and spun around her. She was spinning, fast then faster, and then not spinning anymore but stretching and growing and _dancing_. Her body was not a single solid object but a thousand long, thin lines bound in a knot at the center, and each line was tipped with a heavy, lethal blade that each danced out to exactly where she commanded them to go and no farther. The blades – her mind automatically thought of them as _her_ blades, the same way it thought of _her _feet, _her _hands, _her_ eyes – twisted and lashed and spiraled through the air. She was in a thousand places at once and utterly whole.

She felt the impacts (sixteen direct point strikes, four scoring cuts, three blunt-side glancing blows, forty-three near misses) as her opponent – her prey – failed to dodge fast enough. Twenty-three hits in all, seventy-eight percent of which were debilitating, eight percent merely damaging, the remaining fourteen percent cosmetic. The bruises on her back throbbed suddenly, and as her mind became aware that she _had_ a back, that it was merely a part of the rest of her body – because yes, she had a body again, a singular unit with a lots of wires currently attached – she felt the edges of the Meatgrinder coming apart around her. It was just too damn hard to maintain that fractured, multi-awareness. She was too used to thinking in terms of the whole, not a thousand pieces. This is what he must feel like all the time, she thought irrelevantly.

But even as she felt the jutsu coming apart, she was already moving to correct it. Her left foot had barely hit the ground before she was turning quickly on her heel, using her momentum and leverage to pull the blades on the far ends of the wires back towards herself. As soon as the multitude of weapons reversed back towards her, she let go of the chakra seals that bound the wire ends to her body. They detached and fell away, taking the sensation of having way too many limbs with them and leaving her feeling suddenly small and a little weightless. The super-sharpened sensory overload faded just as fast – the wires had acted as extra sensor inputs, like having a thousand long ears, eyes, noses, and tongues. In their absence, she felt amazingly blind, deaf, and clumsy. This was the major drawback, she had time to think to herself. If the attack had failed, she would have been utterly helpless in front of her enemy for a few agonizing seconds as her mind tried to re-adjust to one ordinary set of ears, eyes, and nose.

But the attack had not failed.

Though her mind was still reeling a little from the abrupt and dramatic shift in perspective, Tenten's well-trained instincts were still superb. Her hands came up and neatly snagged a scythe and a katana from the profusion of weaponry that she had pulled in towards herself. The rest of the bladed weapons fell to the ground behind her like a lethal rain shower. Many of them stuck point first in the ground and stayed there, quivering.

Her regular senses finally kicked in properly. There was blood on the scythe blade (it had been the third hit, a scoring hit, cutting through flesh and leaving a long, bloody gash in it's wake), but the katana was clean (nineteenth near miss, probably, but she was already forgetting some of the details from inside the Meatgrinder...her normal perception couldn't cope with the memory of so many simultaneous sensory inputs). The ground was slightly slick where she stood. Blood had pooled to her left, and a little trickle of it was working it's way under her right foot. The crowd was silent.

Taneda Shun was on his hands and knees several feet away, probably where he had landed when he'd tried to dodge her attack. There was a large cut several inches long and very deep on his back, two deep cuts on his right arm and another on his left, and half of his right ear was gone. The rest of his injuries were too hard to see because of her angle and distance.

And because the man was coated in blood.

His clothes were sticking to his chest and legs, and his dark hair was matted wetly down against his head. His bare arms were almost completely red. And when he lifted his face towards her, she saw that one of her blades had sliced diagonally down his forehead, over his nose, and all the way to his chin. The cut neatly bisected the slash she had made across his mouth and cheek. His eyes were open and wild with pain and rage, but she knew he could not see her.

"That's enough," she said, and wondered at how steady her voice sounded. It was almost like someone else entirely was speaking through her now, as she stood to the side and listened. Another side effect of the Meatgrinder, maybe – having been so insanely _aware _of everything inside and out of herself_, _her body now compensated by cutting her off and making her feel oddly detached from it all.

That could also have been a huge disadvantage, had the attack failed.

But it didn't fail. Her success was staring her (a blood-blinded wreck of a human being) in the face.

"That's enough," she said again, quieter, and turned her back on him. Something in her muscles warned her that she would regret all this very soon, but she had to get out of the arena before she disgraced herself by fainting or something equally pathetic. In the fighters' entrance to the arena, Sakura was already standing with her arms crossed as a few lower-ranked medic-nins flitted around with bandages. Tenten began the long, weary trudge towards the exit, where hopefully Sakura and her helpers would have some clean, non-bloody clthes she could change into. Her outfit was soaked...oh god, she was going to have nightmares about this for a freaking _month_ -

An inhuman scream three inches behind her ear and the overpowering stench of blood as something came hurtling towards her back -

Tenten threw herself to the side, rolling on one shoulder, flowing up to her feet, thrusting out with the katana. She felt it connect (not as keenly as she'd felt the Meatgrinder's strikes; this was just a sword in her hand, not an extension of her physical self) and felt the soft flesh give way to the point of the blade. The momentum from her roll brought her weight up against the hilt, slamming the blade all the way through the body until the circular hilt-guard was flush against the skin.

She was almost a foot shorter than Taneda, which put her eyeline just above his collarbone. But she didn't need to see his face to know that his eyes were sightless for another reason now. After all, she'd just rammed a katana through his heart.

Fuck, she thought tiredly. Make that two months.

The weight on her blade shifted as the body on it started to fall forward. Tenten pulled back, sliding the metal out of the bloody remains of her enemy and flicking the gore from it with a practiced twist of her wrist. The body slumped against her chest, and she let it slide off and down to her feet, leaving a large smear of blood across her shirt. Tiredly, she turned to face the Hokage's seat, lifted her blade, and saluted sharply with it.

Then without a backwards look, she walked out of the arena.

**

"Hey, Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Can anyone see me? From the arena?"

"No."

"Good."

"…Here. Drink some tea. It'll wash out the taste, and settle your stomach."

**


	12. Understanding

_Notes_: Is it just me, or am I getting really long-winded lately? Another extended-length chapter. I guess I just get carried away. Also, while I do think Tenten's actions in the last chapter will get her a slightly different reception in Konoha in general, I do not think her teammates will behave any differently than before. Also also, Naruto's latest attempt to remember Taneda's name is thanks to unkeptsecret, because I lol'ed. Final also: I still deny this is a romance, because I'm really not sure if it is yet (despite what many of the characters seem to think). Personally, I happen to believe that it's easy to have very close yet platonic relationships between the sexes. Contrary-wise, I also deny that this is not a romance, because, well, I can.

_Goals_: To lighten the mood a little, and maybe develop a little character (I mean in the story…it's too late for _me_).

_Warnings_: Crouching Humor, Hidden Angst. Some cursing. And a weird old guy.

* * *

Chapter 11

Understanding

"A good haul, these two," the bandit chief chuckled, waving greasy hands at the rough-spun net and it's contents. "Soon 's we figure out what fancy rich family they come from, we can ransom 'em back for some pretty piece a coin. You boys did good with this trap."

In the net, Tenten examined her fingernails. Beside her, Neji stared vacantly at the sky, either deep in contemplation or simply stunned by the heinous smell of the bandits. She was betting on the latter. "But hells, men," the bandit chief went on, swaggering around the captives and tapping his chin thoughtfully. "They're both such pretty little things. No reason we can't have some fun with 'em first, eh?"

Tenten's brow furrowed. Damn, she thought. I _am_ getting a hangnail.

"Tell you what, I'm feelin' gen'rous, so I'll let you boys have the little lady first, alrighty?"

"Keep that dress she got clean, though," the taller, slightly less hideous man who was probably second in command ordered. "Noble's clothes are worth good money, too."

"What 'bout you, chief?" one of the greasier men asked, leering at Tenten through the net. "You don' want 'er first?"

"Oh, you know me, Jinksy," the chief's crooked smile widened into a lecherous grin. "I'm thinkin' this cute boy here's a bit more to my taste, no?"

The men laughed uproariously. "He is prettier, chief, no doubtin' that!" someone shouted appreciatively. "Got prettier hair 'n any girl!"

Tenten smirked at Neji, who eyed her irritably. "Their uneducated and vile opinions do not validate yours," he said shortly. Tenten's grin broadened and she opened her mouth to fire off one of a dozen different retorts, most of which involved insulting the bandits' manhood (or lack thereof) and all of which included at least two obscenities, but Neji cut her off. "Are all of your men here?" He directed his inquiry at the bandit chief, but his body language told Tenten he was looking at her, so the frown on his face was an indirect reproof. Stop messing around, that look said. This is Serious Business.

Tenten stuck her tongue out at him. But only a little.

"What's wrong, pretty?" The chief leered closer. "You anxious to get started in your new occupation?"

Neji waited for the round of wicked laughter to fade before saying calmly. "I understand you all to be part of the Fumiwara gang that has been terrorizing this district for some months. In the interest of saving time, I would like to deal with all of you at once."

"He means is this the whole show or are we going to have to go find the side acts?" Tenten propped an elbow on her knee and leaned on her hand. "Although I have to admit, this is kind of a pitiful turnout."

A bewildered look settled on the chief's unintelligent face as he began to process the extraordinary behavior of his prisoners. After all, these were just two wealthy aristocrats making their way through the scrub lands, stupidly unguarded. They were surrounded by hardened criminals who planned to hurt them before selling them. Shouldn't they be…scared? Nervous? Vaguely intimidated? Instead, the man looked coldly arrogant and the woman just looked bored.

Since he could not understand what all that stuff about saving time or sideshows, his brain coped with it by simply ignoring it. He focused instead on their expressions, trying to puzzle out why they seemed to supremely unconcerned with their predicament. Oh, I know, he told himself. They're just used to people doing their say so all the time. They don't recognize the danger. Well, okay then. He could break that composure quick enough.

He drew himself up to his full height and stuck his chest out. "You're lookin' at the notorious Fumiwara gang, alright," he told them grandly, waving his hand in a stately, sweeping gesture to indicate the horde of cutthroats, pickpockets, and fightin' men under his command. "Notorious," he said again, with relish. He had heard some townie using that word to describe his gang, and once he figured out what it meant he'd thought it was a fine ol' way to say 'bigger an' badder than you.' He used it as often as he could. "Shake in your boots, sir an' madame," he went on, sticking his chest out a little further to show he was proud a these boys. "'Cause you're in the clutches of the worst band of villy-ans you ever heard a. An' when we get through with you-"

"Enough," the rich boy cut him off imperiously. "We are uninterested."

"And is something wrong with your back?" the girl tilted her head. "You keep arching it like that. Looks like you're being poked in the spine with a sharp stick."

He stared at them, mouth open slightly. "You're not scared?"

Tenten almost felt a little bit of pity for the fool; he looked so oddly deflated. "Nope," she said kindly.

"Not even of the terrible, horrible things we'll do to you?"

"You will not harm us," Neji answered coolly, face pointed once more to the sky.

Neji's voice seemed to pull the chief back to himself. He blinked, shrugged violently, and folded his arms. "And what great warrior is going to fall from the sky to save you?" the chief snorted a laugh.

He stopped laughing as something fast and green hurtled down from the tree branches and landed squarely on his head. The rest of the bandits yelled in surprise and fell over themselves leaping away from their flattened leader. They stared in fear and awe at the dark, lanky figure that rose magnificently out of the dust cloud and, eyes and teeth agleam with mighty power and demonic battle-lust, struck a pose.

"Rock Lee," Neji said smugly.

"Now with thirty percent more sparkle!" Tenten chimed in brightly.

"You have been here several minutes," Neji said sharply, idly cutting through the rope net with his hands and rising. "Is there any particular reason you chose to wait up in the tree before coming down to do your job?"

"Forgive me, Neji," Lee responded, bowing in apology even as he lashed out backwards and knocked a charging bandit across the road. "But I was waiting for the opportune moment."

"And how, precisely, did you know which moment to await?" Neji spun once, and the pair of bandits trying to rush him from either side slammed painfully into the dirt by his heels, out cold.

"Well, ah, that is…" Lee's smile was almost sheepish as he flipped a bandit over his shoulder and into a nearby muddy ditch.

Tenten giggled as she finished wrapping the chief and three of his men in the tattered remains of the net and pulled free her third-best Dao sword from where it had been pinning the second-in-command's pants to the ground. "He was waiting for that line the chief said. You know, 'who's going to save you?'" She deepened her voice and waved her left hand dramatically, her right hand holding the sword steadily to the bandit's throat.

Neji scowled at Lee. "Really?"

Lee held up his hands placatingly, forgetting that they were both wrapped around the throats of the last two bandits. "It made for a much more dramatic and inspiring entrance, didn't it?"

Tenten laughed as Neji rubbed between his eyes. "Let's go home," he said at length, and walked grumpily down the lane, back towards the village that had hired them.

"Well, you heard the man," Tenten hauled on the net with one free hand, forcing her captives clumsily to their feet. "Come along now, you lot have a date with justice." Lee strode past her briskly, the remaining groaning bandits balanced in a pile on his shoulder. Tenten wrinkled her nose as the full force of half a dozen unwashed men wafted by with him. "Which is probably the only kinda date you gentlemen will be having anytime soon," she muttered, following her teammates.

* * *

"You know as well as I do," Shino told his extremely obnoxious, idiotic, flea-bitten, loudmouthed excuse for a shinobi teammate. "It's an old etiquette. Traditional."

Said loudmouth snorted derisively, thus scoring another two points on the Annoying Idiot Board. "Yeah, uh huh. _Traditional_." Kiba made a rude gesture to show exactly what he thought of that theory. "Come on, Mr. Denial. An open ceremony? At the last freaking minute? Because, what, someone dug up an old Miss Manners book or some shit? Please."

"It'll be nice to see everyone," Hinata said quietly from between them.

Kiba grinned. "Yeah, I heard almost every shinobi in town's coming. Free food and all." He paused and scratched his nose contemplatively. "It's really amazing what your family's willing to do to get a good closer look at her."

Shino turned to look at Kiba over Hinata's dark head as the three paced down the street. "It is considered good taste to hold an open wedding ceremony when an outsider shinobi marries into the village," he said with the great patience of someone who has explained this many times, in explicit detail, to a moron. "It allows the village to become familiar with the new addition."

"Yeah but no one does it anymore," Kiba shot back in exactly the same tone. "Especially not for chunin ranked shinobi. And you guys never do anything without some sneaky reason."

"This ceremony has nothing whatsoever to do with-"

"Oh fucking hell, Aburame, there's no way you don't know-"

"The Hall looks pretty," Hinata said mildly. A moment later, they rounded a corner and the Ceremonial Hall came into view. It was decorated with lights entwined with white lilies, and it did indeed appear as if a large number of Konoha shinobi were streaming through the wide double doors.

"Oy! Kiba! Shino! And, oh, hey, Hinata! Over here!"

"Hey, lookie," Kiba nudged Hinata in the ribs. "Naruto's here."

"Um, we b-better get inside," Hinata said hurriedly, waving a small hand at the orange shinobi bouncing on his heels by the door. "It's going to start soon."

"Well, let's get shakin' then," Kiba grabbed her arm and started hauling her towards the doors. "Hey, Uzumaki! You got seats yet?"

"Yeah, there's some empty ones next to me," Naruto yelled back over the crowd, and Kiba's grin turned positively wicked as Hinata's face turned an alarming shade of red.

"Perfect."

"But, Shino-" Hinata turned almost desperately towards her quieter teammate, but Kiba shook his shaggy head.

"Nope, Tall, Dark, and Oblivious' got things to do." He jabbed his free thumb back over his shoulder. "Gotta be a good host, eh?"

Shino followed the gesture to see Rock Lee smiling broadly, followed closely by a slightly irritated Hyuuga Neji…and behind him, of course, there she was.

She was wearing some kind of modified outfit that closely resembled her work clothes but was embroidered with colorful flowers and butterflies. Definitely not tactical, but…nice, nonetheless. Appropriate for the occasion. She'd even tied some sort of bright red ribbons around her normal hair buns, leaving the ends streaming down her back. Her sleeves were slightly more voluminous than normal, too, which could house a series of weaponry but probably made throwing more challenging. Then again, maybe not. Maybe she could turn even those sweeping lengths of cloth into something deadly.

He had already made the mistake of underestimating her once.

The kikkai buzzed a mild warning. Hyuuga Neji was watching him. Hyuuga Neji was watching him stare at Tenten. Hyuuga Neji was watching him stare at Tenten, who was in all likelihood still very angry with him over the Taneda incident. For the first time in his life, Shino wondered what the man he thought of as 'the other Hyuuga' thought of _him_. Then he brushed it off and turned his attention back to Tenten.

Who was suddenly a lot closer than he remembered.

"Hi," she said, as if they were acquaintances passing on the street.

He nodded.

"It's been a couple weeks," she said. "Haven't seen you around."

He nodded again.

"I just got back yesterday," she continued, face and voice still carefully casual. "Neji said there was a big wedding, new shinobi coming into town. I didn't find out it was the Aburame clan until a couple hours ago."

Nodding was becoming redundant, so he merely looked at her.

Tenten's expression took on the faint hint of exasperation. "Anyone I know?"

"I doubt it," he said at last. "She comes from a clan in the Wind country."

"I meant the groom."

"From the Tarsus branch," Shino informed her. "One of the smaller branches."

"Oh." They stood there for a long moment, and then suddenly Tenten sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Okay, look, this is ridiculous. I'm sorry I yelled at you, alright?" She looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I'm not sorry I got angry, because I think you were being a jerk and a little sanctimonious, but I am sorry I lost my temper at you." She paused, then folded her arms defiantly. "So there."

Shino thought about it for a moment. "Alright."

Tenten waited another beat, then rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, glad we got that cleared up. Excuse me, I better get inside-" she stopped speaking abruptly, and Shino blinked in surprise. His hand was on her arm, not holding her, just...when had he even moved? He felt the hive stir in his chest, and ordered them to be still. He was moving without thinking, something normally reserved for combat only. He would have to consider this later. Right now, Tenten was looking at him, surprised and a little confused as he stared at her without speaking.

"My assessment was incorrect," he said finally. "About your abilities."

As apologies went, it lacked a certain…elegance, he supposed. But she gave him one of her sudden smiles, the kind that transformed her face into something bright and vibrant. "Yeah," she said. "Alright."

* * *

Well, one thing you can say for the Aburame, Tenten thought with a hint of relief. They definitely don't drag things out. The wedding ceremony took surprisingly little time. A young Aburame man in dark clothes (nothing particularly fancy – it looked like the Aburame idea of formal wear was to simply leave their faces exposed, although he still wore the standard sunglasses) knelt opposite of a petite, pale young woman with light brown hair and brown eyes. The woman wore a pretty white kimono with soft pink and red birds embroidered on the sleeves and hem. She looked very nice, Tenten thought, except the white outfit unfortunately served to accent the pallor of her skin. She wondered if the girl was naturally that pale or if she was just extra nervous. She also wondered what kind of fighter the girl actually was, and how soon it would be polite to introduce herself and ask for a spar.

A shinobi she vaguely recognized from her Academy days knelt behind the groom, looking stiff in his formal getup. A best man, Tenten figured, probably the Aburame's friend or teammate. A slightly less pale girl with heavy makeup and an elaborate hairstyle knelt behind the bride, and where the best man had looked uncomfortable, she looked almost angry. Maybe she's just mad about that paintjob they did on her face, Tenten tried to think charitably.

The priest conducting the ceremony said a few brief words about commitment and fidelity to the crowd at large, and then the bride and groom both signed some sort of contract with beautiful calligraphy brushes. The groom said something about honoring his bride, and she murmured something back about upholding her duty. It all sounded very rehearsed to Tenten, and the bride spoke so low and quickly that she almost missed about half of it.

Nowhere did anyone mention love…but then, this was an arranged marriage, wasn't it? They weren't required to love each other, just 'uphold their duty.' Whatever that meant. Tenten wondered what exactly was in that contract they had signed.

After the bride finished speaking, the groom held one hand out, palm up, over the contract. "I am Aburame Hotaka, and I accept you as my wife," he said.

There was a long, quiet moment. The bridesmaid shifted her weight slightly, as if she were seriously contemplating leaping forward. And then the bride stretched her hand out and hovered it over his palm. "I am Abu-Aburame Mariko, and I accept you as my husband," she said with only a small hitch in her voice. She lowered her hand and brushed it against his, then quickly pulled it away and settled it back in her lap, hidden inside her kimono sleeves. The priest nodded, and the bride and groom stood.

And that was it. The crowd clapped and cheered (or sobbed openly at the beauty of true youthful love or the love of beautiful truth or something. Tenten passed Lee a handkerchief, and Neji scooted casually out of Gai's Manly Hug Radius).

The bride and groom vanished into a back room, probably to change, and Tenten found herself shuffled along with the crowd into the largest room of the Ceremonial Hall, where several tables of food were set up, next to of course a large selection of alcohol (you never knew when the Hokage would drop in). Tenten scanned the crowd; Neji and Hinata were seated with a few other members of their family, in a quieter part of the Hall. Lee and Gai were dancing. Or possibly attempting to rearrange their physical body structures. Tough call.

"Over here!" someone waved at her, and Tenten smiled at Ino as she made her way through the crowd. "Grab a seat, girl," Ino pointed. "Pull up a chair, have some chow. It's good stuff, you know." She flicked a finger at her larger teammate sitting a few seats away. "Chouji's family did the catering for it."

"Thanks," Tenten looked around for a chair, and nearly collided with the bridesmaid. "Oh! Sorry about that."

The bridesmaid blinked. "It's crowded in here."

"Yes. Um," Tenten struggled for something polite to say. "It was an open invitation to the village shinobi," she tried, smiling. "Looks like lots of people accepted. I guess any excuse to have a good time, huh?"

"Well, at least someone is," the girl said darkly, glancing over her shoulder at the table where the bride and groom were sitting.

Oh no, Tenten's personal voice of reason said firmly. Whatever is going on here, I want no part of it. I told Shino I wasn't the Aburame clan champion, and I meant it. I'm going to walk away from this, and forget about it entirely. Let this chick work out her issues somewhere else. She opened her mouth to excuse herself. "They're good people," she heard herself say instead.

You, groaned her voice of reason, _suck_.

"I am glad to hear such praise," a new voice said gravely from behind. The bridesmaid's painted eyebrows shot up, and Tenten's followed suit when she turned and looked back. A very imposing looking Aburame man stood behind her, hands deep in the pockets of his faded trenchcoat. His hair was iron gray, and his glasses had a tiny chip on one lens that somehow made him look all the more dangerous. "Aburame Katsu," he inclined his head. "And you would be the kunoichi who defeated Taneda Shun a few weeks ago."

"Yes, sir," Tenten blinked. "I'm Tenten. Nice to meet you."

"I would be very honored," Aburame Katsu went on, "if you would join me for dinner, Tenten."

"Oh, uh, well, actually, sir," Tenten struggled not to appear as flustered as she felt. "I was just going to-" she flapped a hand vaguely at the table next to her, but before she could continue, she felt strong hands grabbing her from either side.

"Oh, there's almost no room left anyway, Tenten," Sakura said sweetly from her right. "So sorry, but you know Naruto, he never remembers to get a table with enough seats."

"Hey!" The blond shinobi attempted to protest, but the words were muffled by the huge amount of food he'd recently shoved in.

"Yeah, you go have a nice chat with Mr. Aburame," Ino added, smiling just as sweetly from her left. "We'll catch up with you later, okay?" Simultaneously, the two kunoichi (traitors! Tenten thought – vile traitorous wenches who couldn't be trusted as backup when a girl really needed it, who would be getting nasty surprises in their coffee come tomorrow, I _swear)_ pushed her forward, and it took all of Tenten's balance not to stumble.

"I'd be honored, sir," she replied politely, recovering quickly. Just think of it like a mission, she thought. You just have to figure out what he wants with you without letting on that you're doing anything other than enjoying the food. Right. C-class Mission What The Heck, underway.

Across the room, she saw Shino look up and catch sight of her with the older Aburame. She started to send him a smile, but froze when his eyebrows shot up in what looked like…alarm. Which of course did nothing for the butterflies in her stomach. Mission What The Heck just went up to B-class, she thought darkly. Proceed with caution.

"This way," Katsu said, gesturing to a table where several Aburame were sitting. That part of the room was even quieter than the Hyuuga's area, and much more somber. Tenten walked towards the empty seat he had indicated and saw that she was surrounded by dark coats and darker glasses. Only one exit, her brain automatically supplied. Two genin ranked and one chunin in the path. At least four of the Aburame near her seat were jounin level, too. Damn. Of course, the old man himself seemed to tower well above everyon else in her danger-sense. Maybe it wasthe way all the other Aburame seemed to move out of his way when he walked. What I wouldn't give for some backup, she thought. Okay, Tenten, play it cool. She took the seat Aburame Katsu indicated, and tried very hard to ignore the sensation of a million hidden eyes watching her every move.

Behind her, the bridesmaid shook her head, causing the little bells tied into her hair to jingle. "What a family," she mumbled.

Someone slung an arm around her shoulder. "Word of advice," Kiba said casually. "You oughta be careful what you say about an Aburame around that chick." Kiba's grin was perfectly friendly, but in his tone there was just enough of a growl to get the girl's attention. "Last guy who smack-talked one of the ol' bug-eyes in her presence wound up dead."

The girl sniffed, unimpressed. "Clever, but I know that trick. You say 'he wound up dead' and make it sound like that girl over there did something awful to him, but really all that happened was she got mad and then the guy went off and died on his own or something. And I'm supposed to get all nervous and be scared of her because you put two uncorrelated events together in a sentence." She smirked in a way that was obviously intended to be condescending but came off merely bratty. "Let me guess, he died of old age, or slipped on some soap."

"Nope," Kiba replied cheerfully, slapping her on the back hard enough to rock her forward. "Tenten stuck a sword through his heart."

The bridesmaid stared at him. Naruto, ever the suave smoother-over of awkward situations, nodded enthusiastically, cheeks bulging as he tried to smile around a mouthful of food. "Yeah, yeah, she totally owned ol' Burning Fat Chopper whatsit, and served him right too."

"You know, you might want to check your medical history for mental disease," Sakura ground out, managing to almost simultaneously smile in apology at the bridesmaid and scowl menacingly at Naruto. "I swear you have a pathological compulsion to misremember names."

"Oh, hey, is that mochi?" Kiba grabbed a chair and swung himself into it. "I love these things."

* * *

"They're quite good," Aburame Katsu said, pushing the platter closer to Tenten. "I am particularly fond of the red bean ones."

"Thanks," Tenten said cautiously, reaching for the dumplings. The older gentleman beside her settled back, a cup of steaming tea in one hand. Tenten picked out one of the mochi and debated cutting it up (they were messy little things), but decided that would be overdoing it a little. It wasn't like she was being graded on her ability to eat sweets, was it? Right. Almost defiantly, Tenten picked up her mochi and bit into it.

"So then," Katsu said at exactly that moment. "Tell me about your relationship with my grandson."

Tenten choked.

Katsu handed her a cup of tea, and Tenten took the opportunity, while she was struggling to regain both breath and dignity, to consider the safest response. "He is a very good fighter," she said at length. "We spar a lot." She mustered up her courage and looked the Aburame right in the eye. "And I consider him my friend."

"Excellent," the old man nodded, sipping his tea.

Tenten waited, but that was all she was going to get, apparently. They don't drag things out, she reminded herself. Straight to the point. Not really what I expected, but hey, at least we got that over with. Now I just need to sit here, her voice of reason piped up again. Just sit and try not to make myself look anymore like a silly little girl than I just did. Let him do all the talking.

"But you already knew that," she said. "Didn't you?"

Oh, good work, Tenten. Very smooth. Holy crap, why don't I ever _listen_ to me?

"Of course," Katsu sipped his tea calmly. "I merely wanted to see your reaction to the question."

Tenten frowned. "Oh. That's…I mean…" she trailed off. "I don't understand."

"What's to understand?" Katsu gestured smoothly with his teacup, managing not to spill a single drop. "I wanted to know. I asked. This surprises you?"

"It's a little more, uh, direct than I thought," she managed, cheeks positively burning. "For an Aburame. I mean, everyone says you're very subtle." Oh, if only I could shut up, she thought longingly.

"Is that what people say?" She could be wrong, but Katsu seemed to be smiling at her behind his collar. "How odd. I was not aware I had any sort of reputation among the younger generations."

"No, no, I don't mean you specifically, I mean - it's just- I just sort of assumed that all Aburame were, um," she hunted for a non-offensive word. Finally, she settled for waving a hand at Shino. "Like him." Katsu eyed her thoughtfully, and Tenten flushed a little. "That's not bad or anything," she hastened to clarify. "Just, you know, a certain type of personality."

"The kikkai require a great deal of control," the old man said after a moment, sparing her a chance to further stick her foot in it. "Both physically and mentally. We are taught from birth to be focused and objective about most things. Also, an Aburame is rarely popular in the general public. Combine those things with an intellect like my grandson's and I suppose at times he does seem a bit..."

She couldn't resist. "Reserved, yet slightly overwhelming?"

"More like 'smart, yet bloody unsociable,' but he would probably like your assessment better." Katsu sipped his tea and this time definitely smiled at her behind his high collar. "And now you will politely hide your shock at finding that I am a terrible grandfather to mock my own flesh and blood."

"Oh no," Tenten replied, starting to feel much better about this whole thing. She returned the smile. "I just think I've finally figured out how such a gifted person like Shino managed not to grow up completely spoiled and arrogant."

"I find that a little humor at one's expense is good for the soul."

Tenten nodded. "You're certainly the most humorous Aburame I've met so far," she said gravely. He raised an eyebrow at her that managed to say 'I am aware of your underhanded attempts at mockery,' and 'I am somewhat amused by your general silliness' with just a hint of 'I will refrain from retaliation at this time, but you're on notice, young lady.' If there was anything Shino had taught Tenten in this past year or so, it was that one could read a lot from an Aburame eyebrow. "Maybe that's why Shino seemed so worried about me sitting next to you," she ventured on brightly anyway. "You're blowing the Aburame mythos here."

Shino's grandfather drank the last of his tea and gestured mildly with the cup. "Hmph. I may be an Aburame, but I am also old, which trumps. And old people have no other purpose in life save to mortify the young." He sighed elaborately, regarding his now empty cup. Taking the hint, one of the Aburame youngsters seated near him reached over and poured another draft. Katsu patted Tenten's arm genially. "Live to a craggy old age like me, and someday you too will understand the joy of annoying your progeny."

Grinning, Tenten put her hands together and bowed. "Thank you, Honored Elder. I shall strive to follow your illustrious example."

Katsu turned his gray head towards her sharply. "Less of the 'Honored Elder,' young lady," he said reprovingly. "It makes me feel like I ought to be meditating on a mountain top somewhere, and I have no inclination to do so anytime soon. Or indeed, ever at all."

Tenten giggled before she could stop herself. "But I thought meditation was considered a valued and necessary skill among the Aburame."

"That does not require me to enjoy it," he retorted.

Tenten found herself eying Shino speculatively as he sat quietly across the room, surrounded by chattering guests. "So you don't regularly hang out in high, secluded spots and ponder the meaning of existence?"

The old man flicked one long finger dismissively, and a couple of kikkai floated up into the air in front of his face before disappearing back into his collar. She wondered briefly if this was an Aburame version of a derisive snort. "That's the sort of thing the younger generation likes to get up to, I'm told. I, however, am far too old for such nonsense."

Tenten was reminded very strongly of the little old lady who lived in the apartment next door, who often complained of the way the guy who lived above her skateboarded down the stairs instead of walking. It says something about a clan, she thought privately, that spending hours meditating in utter silence is considered youthful nonsense. "That Aburame boy," she mentally heard her neighbor grouse, "always sitting about and making no noise and not getting in anyone's way!"

This time Katsu handed her a napkin as she choked on her tea. "I find that tea and laughter are good for the soul," he remarked, "but rarely in combination."

At this, Tenten laughed outright. Across the room, Shino turned towards the sound (so did most of the Aburame seated near her – in the almost funereal atmosphere, it was oddly distinctive). Tenten caught his eye and swallowed hard, trying to suppress the giggles.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

She gave up the fight and burst into laughter. Beside her, Katsu chuckled.

"Sorry," she wheezed as soon as her breath caught up to her again, swiping at her eyes.

"Nonsense," he replied loudly, probably for the benefit of all the ears that were surreptitiously turned in their direction. "This is a wedding. Somebody ought to be having a good time."

The gentle buzz of conversation seemed to pick up a bit, almost as if the clan was responding to some obscure order in the old man's words. Tenten felt her cheeks warming again but stubbornly refused to look apologetic. "Thanks," she told Katsu.

"I am pleased that you decided to join us tonight," the old man said. "I doubt that I am alone in that satisfaction." He inclined his head towards Shino. The movement caught Shino's attention, and he turned from watching Tenten's red face to give his grandfather a long look. But the old man merely lifted his tea cup in acknowledgment of his grandson's scrutiny. "To lovely young women who know when to laugh," he said serenely. Still giggling, Tenten lifted her own cup and joined in the toast.

"To crafty old men who know how to make them," she replied.

They drank deeply, then set their empty tea cups down on the table, turned to face one another in their chairs, and bowed.

Even without the hood it was hard to tell Shino's expression from the other side of a crowded room (heck, it was hard to tell from three feet away, sometimes) but she got the distinct impression that he was frowning. "He probably thinks we're making fun of him," Tenten told her co-conspirator, feeling a little stab of remorse.

"He just hates not knowing what's going on," the old man replied, completely unrepentant. "Like his father. I, however, find that a little bit of uncertainty is -"

"Good for the soul?"

Katsu nodded, then he looked down and gave a little frown of his own. "I also find," he said in a slightly louder, more distinct tone, "that our tea cups are empty."

The genin on the other side of him jumped guiltily and reached hastily for the tea pot.

* * *

"I wondered where you were lurking," Tenten said, when the food was gone and the guests were filtering slowly out and she had finally found Shino. He was standing with his back to the wall in one of the quieter corners of the room, watching the crowd go by. She turned and leaned casually next to him, tilting her head back to look up at the rising moon through the skylights.

Shino did not answer, but that meant nothing. I wish I knew how he does that, she thought idly. He wasn't even facing her in her general direction, and she still somehow knew he was listening. "She looked like a nice girl," Tenten went on thoughtfully. "I hope she likes Konoha."

"I am sure she will find the village to her satisfaction."

"I'll have to look her up later and see if she wants a tour or something." Tenten paused, then sighed. "Although if she's heard anything about my last tour, she'll probably pass. Ah, well," she shrugged it off. "I'm sure she's probably a little preoccupied with her new husband and everything right now anyway."

"Probably," he said quietly.

Something in his voice bothered her…the way his tone changed when she'd mentioned the groom…Tenten glanced at him, and considered her options. "It was a really nice ceremony," she said at last, carefully. "Functional but elegant."

"It was functional," he agreed in a low, noncommittal voice.

Tenten puzzled over that response for a moment, then decided to just cut to the chase. "You didn't like it?"

"It served its purpose. The ceremony proceeded according to the rules, and was aesthetically pleasing enough."

"Well, that's one way of considering it," she muttered. They lapsed into silence, and Tenten found herself studying Shino from the corners of her eyes.

He was looking straight ahead, focused on the moving crowd. The thing about Shino, she thought to herself, was that you couldn't rely on his face to know what he was thinking. Even normal body language signs were obscured, hidden as he was in layers of heavy material. The clues to understanding Aburame Shino were harder to find but no less clear, if you knew where to look. She titled her head slightly, studying him as carefully as she did when they were sparring.

His feet were shoulder width apart with his weight balanced on his heels – when they fought, he tended to keep his weight forward, on the balls of his feet to increase his ability to react quickly. On his heels meant he wasn't planning on moving any time soon, which meant he was either deep in meditation or studying something. His hands, normally buried in his pockets, were resting down at his sides with his fingers slightly curled. On anyone else that would have been a sign of relaxation, but on him it was a sign of mild agitation. When he'd spoken, his voice had been calm with undertones of speculation and even (unless she was getting carried away here) a touch of pity. But the words were the real hint. _The ceremony proceeded according to the rules._

Rules. During the ceremony, the rules called for the bride to take her husband's hand. And she had – lightly, cautiously, and definitely briefly. Tenten blinked in surprise as the full meaning of that single moment in the ceremony suddenly hit her. The bride had done what she had to do, no more. She had to make some physical sign of acceptance towards her new husband– she didn't have to actually _accept_ him. She didn't have to hide the fear, the slight revulsion, not even in front of his entire family. And the Aburame accepted that – _Shino_ accepted that – actually even seemed to expect it and plan accordingly.

Tenten frowned. She looked at him again, and suddenly the downward tilt of his chin made a little more sense. He was looking (without actually looking, because that would be obvious and Shino was never obvious if he could help it) at his hands – hands that someday a strange girl might pretend to touch without actually touching as she shivered at the thought of him. Hands that could perhaps expect nothing else.

That, Tenten thought to herself with a venom that surprised her, is bullshit.

So, moving casually (not fast because he might think it was an attack and pull away but not slow because it gave her time to feel stupid and awkward and that would never do), Tenten reached over and slid her palm against his.

She didn't try to grab hold of him. She just let her hand rest against his, palm to palm. She felt the muscles in his hand jerk, but he didn't pull away. After that tiny jump, though, he didn't move at all. She had just enough time to wonder if maybe she should go see if there was a spare mission the Hokage could send her on (somewhere far away, ideally under a rock) when he turned his head toward her, as if she had asked a question and he was merely looking over to answer her.

She met his steady gaze and lifted her eyebrows at him marginally, letting her palm slide a little more against his to emphasize her unspoken question.

Another long moment, and then she felt his fingers close over hers loosely, holding but not clutching. All she would have to do to retract her hand would be to relax the muscles in her arm and let it drop.

She curled her fingers, and smiled at him. For a moment, behind the collar and glasses, she thought he might have smiled back.

**

"Hey, Tenten? I gotta talk to you for a minute, okay? It's important."

"What's up, Kiba?"

"Just…uh…shit. I just want to say...Go easy, okay?"

"…What?"

**


	13. False Dichotomy

_Notes_: This chapter is completely different than I wanted it to be. Completely. Which isn't to say that I don't like how it came out, but still. I guess I'll have to make up for it in the next chapter. Lotus-Eater, if I put any more apostrophes in inappropriate places, feel free to beat me with possessive pronominals until I am dead because I definitely ought to know better. And Ancient Chinese Proverb, I really appreciate the fic-rec. Everybody, go check out her new site: www. Thereadershavechosen . eternflame . com. _Awesome-sauce. _Final note: feel free to ask me about the title of this chapter, but be prepared for a long (and long-winded) explanation. Because I am such a nerd.

_Goals_: Some people have noticed that I tend to leave a little…pause in Shino's thoughts a lot, as if he were hunting for the correct word. I don't do this because I think he's stupid or anything. I do it because 1) I'm trying to give him a different mental voice from Tenten, and 2) I think Shino's the kind of guy who wants to use the exact correct word for situations and events, and so spends the extra time sorting through his vocabulary to come up with it. So the goal here is trying to give Shino a distinctive voice/thought process. Is it working?

_Warnings_: Violence, blood, some politics, general unpleasantness.

* * *

Chapter 12

False Dichotomy

It was a gloomy, wet morning. Tenten was only an hour or so from Konoha's walls, and thus, a hot bath and a dry bed. The payoff from her mission weighed her sack down heavily, and not for the first time did she wish Lee had been along on this one. He could have hauled this mess back without blinking an eye, she thought tiredly, shuddering slightly as a drizzle of cold rainwater found its way into her collar and down her neck. As it was, the load of beautifully crafted but very heavy golden armor had lengthened her trip home by almost six hours. And the treasurers will only melt the stuff down for coins or something anyway, she grumped to herself. I don't know why the client couldn't do that himself.

Oh, stop whining, she told herself firmly. You got the job done, you got paid, and you're almost home. There's nothing else to worry about.

Except maybe the sudden panicked screaming coming from the west.

Tenten froze on her tree branch. There! Again, another faint scream, coming from further in the forest. A girl or a very young boy was screaming something, though the words were difficult to pick out over the rain and wind. She was still far enough from Konoha that it could be anyone…

Amid the garbled cries, she heard a faint, "Sensei!"

Shit, she thought, flicking the clasp of her heavy sack open. It clanked heavily to the ground far below her, but she was already several yards away and picking up speed as she leapt from one damp branch to another.

She followed the sound of the screaming, swearing aloud when it stopped abruptly. She vaulted to the muddy ground; it was too wet to carry sound accurately, but she might be able to pick up on some vibrations. The moment her feet touched the dirt, however, she felt a shiver of chakra running through the water puddles in the direction she had been headed. She examined it cautiously, but it was unfamiliar. She scanned her memory, but there were only a couple people she knew in Konoha who used water chakra. And this one felt very hostile indeed.

Water chakra, she thought with a groan. Those are _never_ easy opponents.

The rain was picking up now, gone from a mild glum drizzle to a moderate shower. At this rate, it would be an all-out downpour in a matter of minutes. Not ideal conditions for fighting an opponent who could use water as a weapon.

Someone screamed again, just through the trees ahead of her. Someone young, and very, very scared.

Tenten drew four chakra-charged shuriken, focused her senses, and threw.

The shuriken shot directly into the head of the water-clone, and the chakra she had infused into the metal blades dispersed it with a loud splash. Tenten followed close behind, her katana taking off the head of a second water-clone as she landed in a crouch in front of two Konoha genin. As she skidded to a halt in the slick mud, she made an instant assessment of the area. Two genin, children shivering with fear and inexperience, were standing back to back with kunai outstretched in clammy hands. Three water-clones, _big _water-clones, twisted and grotesque mockeries of a human body, had been clustered around them. With a backwards slash of both blade and chakra, Tenten dispersed the third.

Not clones, Tenten corrected herself as she saw the way some menacing foreign chakra was twisting around inside the polluted-looking water. Water monsters. She heard one of the genin, the girl, gasp as the murky, ice-cold water from the third monster splashed over her head. A few feet away, a third genin was huddled on the ground, holding his arm tightly to his chest with a pained, pale expression. Tenten just had time to register six – no, shit, _seven_ – of the hideous water monsters around the boy when two of them suddenly exploded. Tenten threw up an arm to shield her face from the icy blast of their dispersal, and when she lowered it again she saw two enormous hands retracting…no, _shrinking_.

"There's three of them," Akimichi Chouji told her gruffly, swinging a suddenly giant arm to the left and connecting solidly with a lunging water-monster. "I got a good hit on one of them, broke off his arm, but they moved back outta range." He swung again, blocking the vicious downward slash of one monster and hurtling the thing backwards until it connected with a second. Both exploded in a spray of murky water, but Tenten could already see why this battle had kept Chouji from following through to the source. Almost as soon as the water-monsters were destroyed, they re-pooled in the muddy ground and sprang up again, looking even more solid each time as the water got muddier and muddier. She glanced around – the boy and girl genin still standing were bravely trying to hurl kunai at one of the water monsters, but they obviously had not yet learned to infuse blades with chakra, and so the water monsters were merely absorbing the blades without flinching. The third genin was struggling back to his feet, slipping and sliding in the mud as he fought to overcome the pain of a broken arm. Chouji was like a thundering bull smashing through the water clones in two and threes. But he couldn't leave to seek the shinobi controlling the clones without leaving his students exposed.

"Where are they?" She shouted above the noise, summoning a hefty morning star and swinging it in a wide radius. Another of the water monsters (mud monsters, by now) burst around her, but she neatly dodged the wave of noxious water.

"North," he bellowed back, sweeping out a huge arm and picking up his wounded genin. With the boy tucked securely under one arm, he took a flying leap and landed heavily in the mud in front of his two remaining genin. The impact caused a wave of sludgy water that smashed into a few of the monsters, knocking them back a few steps. But then, to her horror, they seemed to absorb the wave and grow even larger. And some of them were even starting to melt together, forming tangled messes of limbs and claws that roared in an ugly, bubbling way. It reminded Tenten of a dying man choking on blood.

Putting that cheerful image firmly from her mind, Tenten turned and somersaulted over the monsters' heads, landing next to Chouji. "They have to be close enough to see," she yelled, spiking a muddy claw that came too close to the genin.

"Up there!" the genin girl cried in a thin, shaky voice, but her hand was steady as she pointed up to a sheered-off hillside looming up out of the trees. Chouji reached out and snatched her arm back before a monster could clamp down on it. Tenten caught his eye, and nodded.

Chouji extended one strong arm outward, and Tenten jumped lightly up onto his forearm, gathered her muscles, and leaped with all her might just as Chouji spun, throwing his arm up and launching her at the hilltop.

She flew through the air, wind and water battering at her face. She narrowed her eyes against the rain and just before she reached the peak of her flight path, she saw them.

Two shinobi in heavy-weather clothes were standing in a cutout on the rocky hillside, arms outstretched towards the battle raging below. The third was perched on a rock nearby, rocking back and forth as he clutched his shoulder, which was soaked in blood.

Suddenly, Chouji's words registered fully in her brain – broke _off _his arm, she thought.

But now her gravity had changed; she was hurtling downward towards the enemy, and one of them had spotted her. He turned, lifting his palms upward. A stream of water shot out towards her face, dividing neatly around her katana blade and reforming as it aimed for her face. It was a nice try, but she'd seen _that_ move before.

Tenten smirked, and twisted.

Her katana slammed into the top of the water shinobi's right shoulder, the force of her fall driving the sharp blade all the way down through his collarbone and into his ribcage. She had only a brief moment to see the look of total shock and agony wash over the man's face before he fell backwards, wrenching the katana out of her hand. She let it go, already spinning to block his howling partner with her morning star. She smashed the first incoming wave of chakra-charged water to the side, but when she moved to counter the second, her feel slipped in the mud. It was too late to stop the fall, so instead she rolled into it, and came up on her feet some distance away from the attacking shinobi. But he was a distance fighter, too, so the gap only gave him room to summon more water monsters. Tenten saw the first disgusting head start to bubble up from the mud, and bashed her morning star down on it. If he started summoning a pack of those things, she'd be stuck fighting them again while the shinobi moved to somewhere he could watch without fear of attack.

She crushed one more half-formed water monster with her morning star, then let the heavy weapon drop, immediately filling her hands with a dozen kunai. She threw them all as rapidly as she could, one after another, forcing the shinobi to focus on blocking and avoiding rather than calling up more of the monstrosities. As the last kunai left her hand, she gathered her chakra and summoned two great handfuls of poisoned senbon needles. The water shinobi caught her final kunai and with a shout, threw her own weapons back at her, all twelve kunai swept along inside a wave of murky water.

Tenten dropped and spun, lashing out with a chakra-charged leg and sweeping an opening through the base of the wave. The bulk of the water crashed over her head, her kunai impacting the ground behind her. But Tenten was already rolling through the opening in the water, throwing all of the senbon needles even as she rolled up to her knees.  
The shinobi raised his arms and tried to surround his body with a cocoon of water, but the small, slim needles went right through it, straight as arrows into his chest and neck. The water shield wavered and dropped as the fast-acting poison took hold. Whew, Tenten thought, swiping at her face to clean some of the muck off. Now I _really _need that bath.

"Look out!" A voice boomed from behind her. Tenten threw herself to the side just as something big and sharp whistled through the air where her neck had been an instant ago. She reached for her scrolls but it was too late, the water monster was already bearing down on her, claws and teeth gleaming red. She had time to think _the third shinobi! _and _god, it's made of blood! _

Then a huge mop of brown hair burst through its chest, shattering the creature into a shower of bloody rain. Chouji didn't even lift his head, just kept charging through the monster and past Tenten until he rammed into the man standing a few feet behind her. The armless shinobi sailed through the air with a final wail, then landed in a pathetic heap against the base of a tree and lay still.

Chouji shook the red-tinged water from his shaggy head and stood up straight. Tenten was already on her feet, a nine-ringed broadsword in hand. "Thanks," he said, turning to face her.

Tenten also straightened, and put away her sword. "Yeah, no problem," she said. "How's your team?"

He nodded to the left, and she saw the two uninjured genin helping the third up the rocky hillside into view. The girl was bracing the hurt genin as the other boy put his palms carefully against the broken arm. A faint green glow surrounded his hands for a moment, and then the boy sighed in frustration. "Sorry," he said. "All I can do is get the swelling down a little."

"A medic-nin?" Tenten asked.

"Not yet, but he's got a knack," Chouji said proudly. "Ino's been working with him a little. He might be her apprentice later on, when he's learned the basics."

"You need some help getting home?" she asked, plucking her kunai out of the dirt and wiping them clean as best she could.

"Nah, we'll be okay."

She started to say more but was cut off by a strained voice. "Chouji-sensei?" the injured boy asked, as the genin came to a stop a few yards away. At first Tenten thought he was staring at her, but then she saw he was looking past her, at the body she had almost sliced in half.

First fight, she thought, not without sympathy. First deaths, too, from the look of them.

"Yes," Chouji replied. "Daiki, Miku, Yuuto," he said in a gentler tone. "Do you see these men?"

The girl stared, and the smaller boy swallowed hard. The injured one, however, nodded.

"They tried to kill us today," Chouji went on. "Really kill us. But not because they hated us, or our village. Because they were paid to do it."

"So you ki-killed them," the injured boy stammered. His face said that he was trying to look tough and wise, like this lesson was nothing new. But the hitch in his voice and the tight paleness of his face gave him away. Tenten picked up her morning star and flicked the mud off of it, remembering her own first fighting mission when the Grass nin had attacked her genin team. Gai had fought the man like it was all a game, calling out teaching points to his watching genin until the enemy ninja had attempted to rip Lee in half with a strange vine-creeping technique.

Chouji sighed, and knelt in the mud to look each genin in the eye. "We killed them," he said gravely. "To protect our friends, and our teammates. Yuuto," he looked at the smaller boy. "When Daiki was hurt, you ran to help him up, right?" The smaller boy nodded. "Even though that meant putting yourself in the way of those monsters?"

The kid swallowed hard again, then said, "Yes, sensei."

"And Miku," the big shinobi turned to the girl, who was staring at the smear of a shinobi her sensei had left at the base of the tree. "When your teammates were in trouble, I saw you jump on top of that creature and stab it. You would never allow anyone to hurt them, would you?"

The girl ripped her eyes from the body and faced her sensei. Her features were fixed in a grimace of half-terror, half-anger. "No, sensei," she replied, and her young voice did not waver. "Never."

Tenten jerked her katana free of the dead man's body and nodded to herself. The worst part of that day with the Grass nin, she remembered all too clearly, had been the moment she had thought Lee was going to die. The sick, wet cracking sound of the Grass nin's head as Gai shattered his skull had been secondary to that horror.

Tenten looked back over her shoulder. The boys were looking at their sensei, perhaps as a way to avoid looking at the carnage. The girl, however, was looking right at Tenten, at the splattered blood and mud on the older kunoichi's clothes and body, but mostly at the long, wicked katana she had just wrenched from the corpse. She looked up and met Tenten's eyes, and the woman nodded to the girl. Yes. Sometimes it's like this, too.

The girl's arm tightened around her teammate's waist, and Tenten saw the beginning of real understanding in the child's eyes. This was a lesson all shinobi learned, sooner or later. It wasn't about bravery in battle, or how one had to be willing to kill another human being. The lesson was in the _necessity_ of bravery, and the _reason_ for the killing.

Not for glory, Tenten thought, not for power, not even for pride or honor. For love, and friendship; for the people who guarded your back always, even as you guarded theirs. For the people who couldn't fight back, and the people who believed in love enough to fight and bleed and die in its name. Always for them.

Miku glanced at her two teammates, looked into her sensei's broad, kind face. Then she met Tenten's eyes again, and the girl nodded to the woman. Yes. For them.

"Chouji-sensei?" the injured boy spoke, sounding less frightened but more solemn than before. "What do we do now?"

"Now," Chouji rose and brushed the mud from his knees. "We bury the bodies, and finish our mission."

* * *

It was a clear, warm night. Shino was only a few miles inside the border, among the sandy hills between the Fire Country's forests and the Wind country's vast, harsh desert. The wind was blowing from the west, carrying the hot, dry smell of sand into the town square where he was currently waiting. Shino leaned back against the wall of one of the large, wealthy houses in the square, blending in with the flickering shadows. In the center of the square, bright lights illuminated the throng of people crowded around a speaker on a small elevated platform, who was yelling excitedly and occasionally jabbing a fist into the air. The crowd was shouting in random angry or jubilant voices, and would respond to his wilder gestures with increasingly louder roars of approval. Shino watched from the shadows, noting how what had begun as a crowd of muttering individuals with nothing better to do was slowly becoming a mob of angry rioters spoiling for a brawl. All they needed to turn this into a massacre was someone to do something stupid.

The heavy gates across the square groaned open suddenly, and a dozen well armed men came trooping through them.

Exactly, Shino thought.

The crowd turned to face the newcomers as they lined up neatly on either side of the gate. Uniforms, Shino noted, but all brand new and not fitted. A wide assortment of weaponry, too. Hired fighters, then, not a regular militant force. Which meant the client was both wealthier than the Hokage had been led to believe, and was not yet willing to expose the provinces' regular troops to this…situation.

"Citizens," one of the hired fighters announced. "You will all disperse and return to your homes, or we will be forced to view you as hostile and will take action to preserve the peace."

This was, naturally, met with the kind of enthusiastic scorn and anger than only nice, normal, peaceful people can summon when they are deep in the throes of the mindless mob mentality. "On whose authority?" One man's voice managed to make itself heard above the general shouting.

"The Lord Masaru commands you to disperse," the hired man shouted again, hand going to his sword hilt. The other uniformed men also began to shift position, hands on various hilts, handles, and scabbards. Shino pushed off the wall and began to walk around the perimeter of the square.

"He isn't the true Lord!" a woman called from within the depths of the crowd, and the man on the platform waved his arms in emphatic agreement. "He is an impostor!" He shouted, too, leaping down into the throng and becoming a part of the angry, shouting faces. The noise in the square shifted, the people buzzing angrily like bees warning predators from their hive.

Several months of drought had made their lives difficult enough, Shino knew, and the strict policies of the current 'Lord' of the province, while strategically sound in the long run, merely looked cruel and stupid to the ordinary people who did not know enough to see the eventual outcome of food rationing and water taxes. Times were tough, and the self-proclaimed Lord was already unpopular.

There had to be someone to blame. And it was always easier to point a finger when a hundred other fingers pointed with you.

Cries of "The Lady's son is the real Lord!" and "Masaru is Consort, not Lord!" grew louder and louder, and Shino could no longer really tell if the voices were male or female, old or young. It didn't matter. It was the mob, now, full fledged and only seconds away from exploding.

Shino reached the far side of the square, grabbed a protruding window ledge, and started to climb. Below him, someone threw a rock at the armed men.

It took him three minutes to cross the top of the wall around the Lord's mansion and make his way through the expansive grounds. By the time he made it to the mansion doors, the town square was already on fire.

Two armed guards were stationed by the doors, crossbows loaded and faces grim. Shino swarmed them as he went past, blocking their screams with the kikkai. He left them alive, calling his bugs back to himself as soon as the men collapsed from chakra depletion. He wasn't here to kill random hired hands.

He was here to stop a civil war.

Inside, various servants and a few more hired fighters scrambled around, crying, shouting, fleeing. Shino kept to the walls, using a low-level disguise technique to prevent anyone noticing him, and the kikkai to physically stop anyone who started to run too close. He could hear the rumble of the gates outside as they attempted to swing closed, and the crash as they were forced back open.

"Enough!" A new voice suddenly bellowed over the din, loud and commanding. "Stop this idiotic milling about!"

Instantly, the servants stopped running and screaming. A nervous sort of silence descended over the entry hall of the mansion. Outside, more yells, crashes, and the crackle of fire rang, but inside all eyes were on the man who strode into view at the top of the grand stairway. He folded his arms and stood with his feet braced apart, face and voice calm but firm. "Isami," he snapped to a thin old man at the foot of the stairs. "Get the servants into kitchens and have the cook bar the doors. I want Lieutenant Arata to station guards around the kitchens and the Lady's quarters. Never mind the Entrance Hall or the South Wing, there's nothing there of any value."

"But what about the mob?" someone cried.

"Summon the garrison leader," Lord Masaru replied. "Tell him to resolve the situation with as little bloodshed as he can. Now!" Galvanized by his tone, the people began to run and shout again, but this time with less panic and more purpose.

Shino stepped into the light.

The Lord Masaru turned to face him. He eyed Shino with a cool eye, then nodded. "Shinobi," he said, though it was difficult to tell if the word was a greeting or merely an assessment.

Shino inclined his head slightly. "I am here," he said at last, "with regards to a contract."

"Yes," Lord Masaru agreed, and Shino saw a flash of…regret across his stern features. "It's a stupid thing to have a war about," he said. "The baby is the legitimate heir, but he can't rule yet, and the woman is so…" he hesitated, and then shook his head. "She is a good woman, and a good mother, but she cannot rule these people. If it were a good time, no droughts or discontent, maybe, but now…" he trailed off. "Her first husband was a good man, too, but he made some bad choices. He was weak."

"And you are not," Shino said quietly.

Masaru stared at Shino, perhaps trying to see through the dark glasses to the man beneath. He gave up finally, frowning. "I will do what must be done. Even if it means…Even if it is something that I do not want to do."

Shino said nothing. Outside, the roar of the mob changed from anger and violence to fear. New voices, in the clipped, professional tone of soldiers, and the throbbing beat of hundreds of boots marching in time broke through the bellow of the mob. The garrison, Shino realized.

"It must be done," Masaru said again, softer. "For the people. We can't have a stupid war over something like this. I won't let my people die for the sake of a technicality. It _must_ be done."

He snapped his head up, gave Shino a hard look, and said, "Do your job, shinobi." Then he turned and strode down the stairs, out the doors, and into the burning, screaming night.

Shino walked forward, raising a hand. A swarm of kikkai buzzed and boiled out of his arm. Shino closed his eyes and concentrated. The deadly kikkai swarm drew itself into a tight, glittering sphere, then shot forward like a cannonball. It smashed through the wall before him, then through the wall behind that. Shino followed behind until he stood in a large room, empty of almost everything save a few tapestries and a lone woman.

She sat in the middle of the room, facing the wreck of the wall through which Shino had come.

"There is a door," she said quietly as he came to a halt before her.

"At the end of many corridors," he replied.

"And surrounded by many guards," the woman nodded. "I thank you, then, for sparing them."

Shino knelt before her, bowing his head. "You know why I am here."

The woman, a pretty woman in her mid thirties, smiled at him. It would have been a lovely smile were it not for the pain of betrayal mixed with defeat and sorrow that he saw in it. "Masaru sent you," she said.

"Yes."

"He cannot be Lord, not with full authority," she told Shino, fingering a beautifully crafted emerald ring around her delicate finger. "The other lords won't support him, not while I am officially regent in the name of my son. And he needs their support."

"Yes," Shino said again, still kneeling.

"He is a good ruler," the woman told him. "He doesn't want a war, because his people will die. He will make the province safe and healthy again, if they would only just listen to him."  
To this, Shino said nothing.

"I love him, you know," the woman murmured, her eyes going a little unfocused. She twirled the ring on her finger again, holding it up into the light and letting the candlelight fracture and dance inside the jewel. "And I think he loved me. Loves me."

Shino raised his head. "But you know why I am here."

"Yes," she agreed. "But you see, it could have been my son. Then I wouldn't be regent, and he could rule legally. But Masaru knows how much I love my son," her voice took on a slightly desperate tone, and her fingers clenched around the emerald ring. "He knows how much it would hurt me, to kill my baby. So if it has to be done…if it must be done…"

She stopped, and opened her eyes. "Will it hurt?" She asked, sounding many years younger than before. Then she slowly toppled forward. Shino caught her before she hit the floor, and laid her out on her back, hands folded across her stomach. The kikkai rose like a wispy black cloud from her body, sated on her life-energy.

"No," Shino said, and left the body behind.

**

"Shino? Are you alright?"

"Yes, Hinata."

"Oh. Good. Um…I saw Tenten on the practice grounds a few minutes ago."

"Hm."

"Shino? I think it would be nice if you stopped by and said hello. For me, at least."

"...Very well, Hinata."

**

_False dichotomy: a __logical fallacy__ consisting of a supposed dichotomy which fails one or both of the conditions: it is not jointly exhaustive or not mutually exclusive. In its most common form, two choices are presented as if they are exhaustive, when in fact other alternatives are possible. In some cases, they may be presented as if they are mutually exclusive although there is a broad middle ground._


	14. Perspective

_Notes_: I apologize for the last chapter, which seemed to confuse some people. I'll try to avoid getting pedantic in the future. A tachi is an older version of the katana, longer and made for cavalry combat. That's all I know about it, because I am not a sword master. The Water and Wind forms Tenten mentions are taken from Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings (a very influential and historical book in Japan, still studied in military strategy classes today). And…and…oh, hells, I admit it. I've caved in at last. This story is now officially a romance. However! Do not let that lead you to believe that it will necessarily_ end_ that way.

_Goals_: To write the same scene from two different POVs, wherein the same events happen but make two different impressions on the reader. Without being boring or confusing.

_Warnings_: Some repetition. And 'romance.'

Chapter 13

Perspective

The first rays of early morning sunlight were only just trickling down through the thick foliage by the time Shino made it to the outer training grounds. The forest was still hushed, only on the edge of waking. The morning dew had not yet dried off the wings and feelers of many of the local insects, and until it did they would remain relatively quiet and still. He paused for a moment beside a particularly large Blue-eyed Darner to watch the beaded dew refracting light along the regal insect's magnificent wings, like smooth diamonds on silver netting. The dragonfly regarded him in turn, flicking its damp, heavy wings meditatively. A raft of mosquito larva had recently hatched nearby, and the predatory dragonfly was patiently biding its time, waiting for the sun to dry its wings enough that it could go on the hunt. Shino reflected that it was often the most beautiful creatures that were the most dangerous.

Some of the kikkai he had sent out to search the area buzzed softly in his consciousness as they locked on to a familiar scent. Shino turned away from the dragonfly, following his kikkai out into the sunlight.

He heard her before he saw her, or rather, he heard the soft, ringing swish of her sword as she moved through a series of rolling, fluid katas. Shino stood silently at the edge of the clearing she had chosen for her morning practice ground and watched Tenten flow gracefully from one stance to the next, the keen edge of her blade singing as she scythed and sliced it through the air. Midway through, her stance shifted and she moved faster, with shorter strokes and less slashing movements. Her face had the calm, peaceful expression of the totally focused, although once or twice Shino saw her lips pull into a brief smile of pure delight.

The sun was fully up over the treeline by the time she came smoothly to a standstill, arms outstretched with the sword held up before her on her palms, as if she were presenting it to the sky. She was breathing hard, despite the deceptively slow pace of the sword dance, and several wisps of her dark hair had come loose from her practical buns. She stood still as a statue, and for a moment Shino thought she might even be waiting for something, some angel to descend and take the blade she offered.

Then she exhaled noisily and swiped at the sweat on her forehead, sliding the blade into its sheath with a practiced click.

"Hey," she turned to him, face lighting up in one of her sudden smiles. "You're out here early. Weren't you supposed to come back late last night?"

Shino shook his head briefly. "Just before dawn."

"Wow, no wonder you look tired," Tenten remarked, and Shino wondered if he really did seem tired or if it was simply her familiarity with him that allowed her to see it so easily. He wondered if perhaps Tenten was a more observant person than he had thought (he'd judged her incorrectly once already), or had some technique for reading people that he had not yet discovered. Or if her talent in that area extended only to him, and if so, what that meant. Then he wondered if he could blame his sudden bout of mental incoherency on the fatigue of his recent mission or if Tenten herself was in some way at fault. Briefly, he considered the possibility that he was not thinking as clearly as usual.

Abruptly, Tenten drew her sword again, and Shino stopped thinking in circles and started thinking in sharp points as she leveled the blade with his throat. "Look," she said eagerly, and he realized that her smile was more expectant than challenging.

Shino looked closer at the blade. He was certainly not an expert in crafted weapons, but he had spent enough time with Tenten to at least recognize superb workmanship when he saw it. The blade was well-honed and looked smooth as glass, and the blue-bound hilt looked sturdy and perfectly balanced. It was not ornamental at all, but still had an efficient sort of beauty to it. Dangerously beautiful.

"My team gave it to me yesterday when I got home from my mission," Tenten told him, and he could tell that she desperately wanted him to ask why but was struggling to hide it. Probably because she thought he wouldn't ask if he knew she wanted him to do so. Which was a misjudgment on her part, because he was more than willing to give her what she wanted of him.

"Why?" he asked, watching her re-sheath the sword reverently.

"Because," she looked up at him, smiling slyly, then burst out laughing. "I got promoted to jounin!"

"Ah," he nodded. "Congratulations."

"Thanks!" Tenten bounced on her heels a little, fingering the hilt of her new sword happily and grinning at him. The breeze picked up a little, and blew some of her wayward strands of hair into her eyes. Distracted, she brushed them away with one hand, only to have them fly immediately back in. She brushed them back again, but her efforts were futile. "Oh, forget this," she muttered, and held her sword hilt-first out to Shino. "Can you hang on to this a sec while I fix this mess?"

She reached up to pull the sturdy elastic bands that bound her hair up, and shook her head until the brown tresses fell in slightly sweaty, rumpled tresses around her face. She stuck the elastics bands in her teeth and swiftly started to coil her hair back into two neat buns. Shino found himself watching her deft hands as she tugged and twisted on her hair. She had long, fine-boned fingers that ended in almost brutally short nails. Her hands were feminine but calloused, and he could see the faintest of scars on the back of her left hand. Brown from sunlight and rough from work, strong, efficient, practical. No jewelry. A woman's hands, but not a lady's, he thought with a surprising sort of relief.

He felt his own hand clench around the hilt of her sword, and remembered how warm she had been, that night in the Ceremonial Hall when she had reached for him.

"So," she said, voice slightly muffled around the elastic. "How'd your mission go?"

I should have gone to bed, Shino thought to himself suddenly. I am tired and slightly…irrational. He looked at Tenten and thought, deliberately stern, this woman is my friend. And if she reaches out to me in friendship from time to time, that only makes her a _compassionate_ friend. Only a fool would think it anything more, and a good shinobi knows better than to overanalyze things.

"That bad, huh?" She took the last hair band from her teeth and snapped it into place, eyeing him with sympathy. He blinked, realizing that he had neglected to answer her question entirely.

"It was unpleasant," he said at last. She frowned, probably hunting for something to say that wouldn't sound intrusive. "It's longer than I thought," he cut her off before she could.

The sudden change in direction caught her off guard, and she smiled in puzzlement. "Uh, what?"

"Your hair," Shino held out her sword to her, and she took it carefully from him, slinging it around her waist.

"Oh, right. Well, I haven't actually cut it in about three years," she confided. "Trimmed the ends a little to keep it healthy, but otherwise just sort of let it go." She wrinkled her nose at him. "I know it's not really tactical, but…" she blushed slightly, reaching up and brushing at her bangs self consciously. "I guess it's just that there aren't very many opportunities to be…to be…" she sighed and dropped her eyes, looking mildly embarrassed. "Well, girly, I guess. I mean, most female clothes are pretty impractical for a shinobi, and I don't do makeup or perfume of course, and I'm not really into some of the stuff I hear Ino and Sakura and the other kunoichi talk about sometimes," she shrugged, cheeks still pink but expression defiant. "So I keep my hair long. To remind me that I am actually a female, and if I really wanted to I could put it down and look like one, for awhile."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "That didn't make a lot of sense, did it?" Then she met his gaze and smiled, half embarrassed and half amused. "Sorry."

And just like that, Shino knew that he loved her.

Only a fool would deny his own feelings, and a good shinobi knows his own strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else.

"It's alright," he said quietly. "We all have our quirks."

Her new jounin status was well-earned, Shino thought somewhere in the still coherent, analytical part of his brain. Her eyes never once flickered towards his sunglasses. But then, the very careful way she was not looking at his face at all was almost as much of a give away. But she was trying very hard not to be offensive, which was more than almost anyone else in his life had done outside his clan and his teammates (well, Hinata and Kurenai, anyway, because heaven knew Kiba and Akamaru had never had any problems giving offense). It was unsurprising that she would be curious about his eyes, though she would certainly never ask.

Shino reached up and took off his sunglasses. Tenten blinked, eyebrows shooting upward in shock. "Oh," she said in a startled voice, then recovered admirably. She tilted her head and regarded him with a thoughtful expression. "Yeah, I guess we do."

She doesn't love you, Shino told himself calmly, not the way you love her. But that's fine, he replied, just as composed. She doesn't have to, not right now anyway. And maybe she will someday, and maybe she won't, and maybe it won't matter either way.

Tenten smiled at him in the morning sunlight. For now, that was enough.

* * *

Tenten was not by nature a morning person, but years of training with Rock Lee and Maito Gai had more or less developed her into one in self defense. Besides, today she was too excited to sleep in. Today was her official first day as a jounin of Konoha, and her team had given her a beautiful, rare tachiin celebration. Tenten smiled as she unsheathed the long blade and adjusted her grip on the blue-bound hilt. It was gloriously well-crafted, and though the circular guard was a little worn from age, it still balanced perfectly. Gai had claimed to have found it on a mission by pure chance, but she knew her team well enough to guess that they had probably searched for it for several days in anticipation of her promotion. Which they had known about long before she did, she thought wryly to herself, and had somehow neglected to tell her. Although it did explain why Gai's eyes kept streaming with pride all week whenever he looked at her. At the time, she'd just thought he had a head cold.

Tenten lifted the blade, sighting along the edge in the soft grey light of predawn. The sword was longer than most of her other swords, having been designed long ago for soldiers mounted on horseback fighting enemies on the ground. It would take a little practice before it felt as natural to her hand as any katana ever had, but she was more than willing to put in the time.

She swung smoothly into the first Water forms of Ni Ten Ichi, feeling the weight of the blade in her wrists and elbows. As she moved, she concentrated on the sensations of her shoulders, her neck, her back, then down to her legs and feet, until she was conscious of every muscle in her body moving. She could feel the push and pull of muscles, the steady rhythm of her heart, the rush of her breath, the slide of her skin. She felt her fingers curled around the tachi hilt, the roughened bindings against her palms, and the more she moved the more the sword's weight and texture and balance all became a part of her own body, like the weight of her arms or the texture of her own skin.

She reached the end of the Water form, but instead of flowing through the pattern again (which was how the Water forms were designed, so that one could move through them over and over with no seeming end or beginning), she shifted her stance slightly into the Wind forms, which involved much more movement of her feet and hands. Tenten felt a light cool air winding across her sweat-dampened skin, and she oriented her body to the direction of the breeze, listening to it sing along the keen edge of her blade. She danced with the wind as the world gradually became brighter and brighter, until at last she stopped, holding the blade to the sky and feeling the wind parting along it's sharp edge.

This, she thought in the small silence of the morning forest, is an _awesome_ sword. I am so going to hug my team at training today.

Unless that was Neji standing off to the shadows, in which case she could hug him now – no, wait, not Neji. Neji would have come over to her by now. Tenten sheathed her marvelous sword and swiped at her face. A few strands of hair swung messily into her face, and she flicked her head to throw them aside. "Hey," she called happily. The tall figure stepped out into the clearing, hands deep in his pockets. "You're out here early," Tenten remarked. "Weren't you supposed to come back late last night?"

He shook his head a little, but something about the gesture looked, well, _off_ to Tenten. "Just before dawn," he said. She frowned mentally, noting that all his movements seemed ever so slightly slower and more deliberate than usual. And there was something in his tone, something a little more distant and formal…he looked, she decided, like Neji when the Hyuuga had gone a few days without sleep. Stiff, even quieter than normal, and almost too careful in his movements. But then it was only just after dawn now, so he hadn't gone home yet after his travels from the Wind Country border. He'd probably been on the move all night.

"Wow, no wonder you look tired," she told him. He said nothing, simply stood there watching her. He probably ought to have gone home and gotten some sleep, she thought, but Shino was an experienced jounin who knew his own limits better than she ever would. If he needed sleep so badly, he would have done the rational thing and gone to bed. But since he was here, she might as well stop worrying about it and show off her new blade.

"Look," she said happily, feeling the excitement welling back up in her. She unsheathed the tachi and held it out to him, noting with pride that the blue hilt wrappings had already dried from the sweat on her hands. Good material, she thought with approval. Wonder where I can find some more? "My team gave it to me yesterday when I got home from my mission." She twisted her wrist slightly to let the sunlight flicker along the folded steel. She debated telling him why, but somehow just blurting it out seemed a little boastful. And she couldn't try to lead him into asking about it, because then he wouldn't. Of course, it was always possible that he already knew, thus negating the need to announce it anyway. Not that she _needed_ to announce it, like a little kid or something. It was just a promotion. She was hardly the first kunoichi to achieve jounin status. It wasn't like the man would be impressed. Tenten slid the sword back into the simple blue scabbard and told herself to behave like the rational, cool headed adult a jounin ought to be.

"Why?" he asked her, and Tenten beamed like a little kid anyway.

"Because," she laughed. "I got promoted to jounin!"

"Ah," he nodded slowly, leaning against a nearby tree and watching her from his hood. "Congratulations." He sounded sincere, though his low voice was a little detached. He probably thought she was silly, standing there with her messy hair and sweaty face and prancing around laughing like a little girl on her birthday. But he was a good enough friend to let it pass.

"Thanks," she tried to make her own voice as calm and noncommittal as his, as if getting ranked and receiving a rare quality sword was no big deal and happened every day. It wasn't like she'd just invented some new technique or defeated a powerful enemy. Sheesh girl, she thought as some more of her wayward hair flopped into her face. Get a grip. She pushed at the brown wisps, trying to make herself look a little more presentable and collected, the way he always did. But her hair was in a stubborn mood today, it seemed, and she couldn't force it back into any semblance of order with only one hand. Shino stood silently by his tree, watching her struggle with it. How does he always look good? Tenten thought slightly irritably. Even when he's just traveled three days on foot through the forest and is obviously tired, he still manages to look like he's just out for a stroll on a spring day.

"Oh, forget this," she muttered at last, and held the tachi out to Shino. "Can you hang on to this a sec while I fix this mess?" If she was going to look like a silly girl, she thought firmly, at least she'd look like a well-groomed one.

The silence stretched between them as Tenten struggled to shove her hair back into presentable buns quickly and efficiently. Naturally, the harder she tried to get it done quickly, the more of a mess she kept making of it. Her fingernails snagged on a couple strands and pulling them loose again, or when she tried to twist one elastic band firmly around the first bun, it tangled in an unruly lock and she had to pull it free and start over. She felt Shino's eyes on her and blushed slightly as she realized that he was still standing there with her sword in hand, probably bored but too polite to leave while she struggled with her hair.

"So," she said awkwardly, trying to fill the silence with some conversation and hopefully make it seem less strained. "How'd your mission go?"

Shino did not answer, but the line of his shoulders under his overcoat seemed to tense, then drop marginally. The hand holding her tachi hung still at his side, but he pulled his free hand from his pocket. "That bad, huh?" she murmured sympathetically. Shino's chin lifted sharply, as if her words had snapped him back from deep within his thoughts. When he did finally speak, his tone was measured and careful.

"It was unpleasant."

Tenten finished snapping the last elastic band into place and debated telling him that he looked exhausted and should go home and sleep. He probably would not take kindly to being ordered around though, no matter how good her intentions. But since when, Tenten wondered to herself, have I ever balked at telling a friend what they needed to hear? What on earth is stopping me now? If it were Neji or Lee, I'd have frog marched them to bed myself, and tied them to it if I had to. Although I'm not sure if Shino is into that sort of thing - whoa! Tenten slammed her mental brakes on so fast that she almost felt dizzy. Where the freaking _hell_ had _that_ thought come from?

"It's longer than I thought," Shino said suddenly, and Tenten's mind scrambled to return to reality. She must have missed some part of the conversation while she musing about…about…things.

"Uh, what?" She asked, trying to comb her memory to see if he had spoken while she was wrapped up in her inexplicable and entirely inappropriate thoughts. Nope, couldn't recall hearing his voice, except the comment about his mission being unpleasant. He was holding out her sword to her, and Tenten almost absently took it back and slung it around her waist. I did not, she told herself firmly, _not_ just think about brushing my fingers across his.

"Your hair," Shino clarified, and Tenten blinked.

"Oh, right," she rushed to answer. "Well, I haven't actually cut in about three years," she heard herself saying, a tad too fast to be completely relaxed. "Trimmed the ends a little to keep it healthy, but otherwise just sort of let it go." Yeah, great, Tenten, men love to hear about women's hygiene. That silliness factor you were so worried about? Going through the roof. "I know it's not really tactical, but…" she found herself trying to explain. "I guess it's just that there aren't very many opportunities to be…to be…" And now she'd backed herself into a corner. Not that Shino would laugh at her, but it was embarrassing all the same. Oh well, no way to bow out gracefully now. "Well, girly, I guess."

There, she'd said it. Now if only I could stop trying to explain, she thought mournfully, while her mouth went right flapping, heedless. "I mean, most female clothes are pretty impractical for a shinobi, and I don't do makeup or perfume of course, and I'm not really into some of the stuff I hear Ino and Sakura and the other kunoichi talk about sometimes."

Shino was leaning against his tree again, but he was pulling that looking-without-looking trick again, and Tenten found herself surreptitiously scanning the immediate area for a hive of kikkai. That was the only way he could make her feel like he was scrutinizing her down to her bones without even fully facing her. Normally the idea didn't particularly bother her except on a friendly competitive sort of level. But at this particular moment she felt disjointed and a little off balance, and the last thing she wanted was her friend to know that she was letting some random hormones turn her brain into mush. That's what it is, she repeated mentally. Hormones. Shino is a good guy, but if I start turning into a horny girl around him, I'll just freak him out and ruin the friendship.

"So I keep my hair long," she said, only half listening to herself talk while she mentally scolded herself to stop being stupid. "To remind me that I am actually a female, and if I really wanted to I could put it down and look like one, for awhile."

Oh, well done, moron, she thought acidly. Never mind that it was a little too much honesty to be comfortable, but making a point to remind him she was female was about as subtle as a billy club. Control your stupid hormones before you turn this into a real mess, Tenten! Fighting to cover her embarrassment, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "That didn't make a lot of sense, did it?" Tenten looked up to see that Shino was facing her fully again. The sunlight reflected off his sunglasses, and his face was still mostly hidden behind his collar and hood, but she didn't see any condemnation or irritation in his body language. "Sorry," she offered him, smiling self-consciously.

Well, he was a good looking guy, she told herself defiantly. And he was intelligent and a powerful shinobi. There was no shame in being attracted to the guy, so long as she kept it under control and didn't let it mess up their friendship. I can handle that, she thought. It's not like I've never been physically attracted to anyone before. I'll get over it soon enough, hopefully before I get myself into trouble.

"It's alright," he said, and Tenten allowed herself to admit that he really did have a great voice. Low, smooth, a little smoky. "We all have our quirks."

Like my sudden desire to attack you just so I can have an excuse to touch you again, Tenten thought in the privacy of her mind. Then she mentally slapped herself. Stop thinking about it! Look, his hands are still out of his pockets; he's tense about something. Probably picking up on you radiating pheromones or whatever.

Shino moved one of his hands suddenly, and because she was already staring at it, Tenten followed it up to his face.

Shino took off his sunglasses.

"Oh," Tenten heard herself say.

There were two popular theories in Konoha about Aburame Shino's sunglasses. Well, okay, there were two popular theories among the Konoha kunoichi of Tenten's general age group, excluding of course his teammate Hyuuga Hinata, who declined to comment. The first giggly, fangirlish theory was that the Aburame had multi-faceted eyes, as if they had crossed their DNA with huge mutant flies. The second breathy, even more fangirlish theory was that the Aburame had very beautiful eyes that they kept hidden for mysterious and appropriately angsty reasons.

Privately, Tenten had always thought it likely the glasses were just personal preference. Later, after Sakura had enlightened her a little on Aburame physiology, she recognized the shades as a means of protecting a minor vulnerability and thought no more of them. In all likelihood, Aburame Shino's eyes were perfectly normal, if slightly more sensitive than normal.

When she was given the opportunity to learn the truth, Tenten had to admit that she had been wrong. But then, so had all the fangirls. Aburame Shino did not have bug eyes, nor did he have wide, shoujo-manga style pretty-boy eyes.

Aburame Shino had absolutely _gorgeous_ eyes.

Crap, Tenten thought as she found herself staring at clear gray eyes that seemed capable of piercing her all the way down to her soul.

I am in _so much trouble. _

_**_

"Yeah, I guess we do."

**

_

* * *

_

(forgive me, lord, for I have fangirled.)


	15. Rumors and Scandals Part I

_Notes_: For everyone who thought I went off my nut in chapt 13: I am holding a piece of cake in my hand. I have two choices: A) hold the cake in my hand, or B) eat the cake. If I hold the cake in my hand, I am not eating it, but if I eat it, I am not holding it anymore. This is a dichotomy - I can only do one of two things, not both. A _false_ dichotomy, however, is when there is actually a hidden option C (possibly D, E, etc). Example: I hold a piece of cake in one hand, then eat a different piece of the same cake…thus allowing me to have my cake, and eat it too. In chapt 13, Tenten had a choice: A) kill or B) be killed. Shino likewise had a choice: A) complete his mission, or B) fail his mission. Those were the only two choices presented them. Or were they?

_Goals_: To further the plot (there is plot! Oh yes! It's is simply very well-hidden! Look underneath the underneath!)

_Warnings_: Some fighting, some body count, some politics, minor language. Plot thickening like old stew in a boot.

Chapter 14

Rumors and Scandals, Part I

"They're clean," Hinata said.

Beside her, Naruto grinned and chucked her gently on the shoulder. "Nice going, Hinata!" Hinata blushed, but her lips lifted in a genuinely happy smile. Naruto jumped forward eagerly and started hauling the hidden backpacks from the hole in the base of the tree, where Hinata had seen them hidden from almost a mile away.

"Search 'em," Tenten ordered, kneeling to pull one of the three bags from Naruto's hands.

Naruto chucked the third to Lee, who caught it and carefully pulled open the top. The blond shinobi ripped open the first sack and rooted around eagerly. "Oh man, this one's chock full of food! Score!"

"This one appears to contain mostly clothing," Lee said with only mild disappointment.

"Ah hah!" Tenten pulled her own hand free from the sack she had been rummaging. "Got it! Geez, whoever these guys are, they aren't well trained. Can't believe they left a freaking _map_ stashed out here where anybody could find it."

"Anybody with Hinata's awesome eyes, anyway," Naruto commented, pulling out a wrapped ration bar and waving it at the Hyuuga. "So, what's it say?"

Tenten glanced at Hinata, and was mildly surprised to see that instead of bright fire hydrant red, the pale girl was merely deeply pink. Well, Uzumaki had been complimenting her a lot for the last three days they had been on this mission. Maybe she was starting to get used to it. Tenten mentally shrugged it off and turned her attention back to the well-waxed paper she had found in the hidden supply stash. "Looks like whoever left these bags here was doing some recon of the area. There's a lot of drawn-in parts on this map." She frowned. "And they've marked off Taiji village."

Lee brought his ponderous eyebrows down into a severe expression. "Then the rumors are true."

"You think these guys are the ones who caused the mudslide at Taiji Village?" Naruto bared his teeth. "Then let's go find the bastards!"

Hinata bit her lip. "We don't know for sure the mudslide was intentional," she said softly. "And if it was, these people may not have caused it." She looked up at Tenten with more hope than conviction in her eyes. "Maybe they are just travelers, and they got lost on their way to Taiji."

Naruto growled, but Tenten cut him off before he could speak. "Well, we're not going to find out anything useful standing around here. Come on, Naruto, you and Lee hide these packs again. Hinata, scan the area. I'm going to make a quick copy of this map. They've got some other villages marked off, too."

Lee and Naruto started hastily repacking the bags, Lee's expression grim and Naruto's angry. Tenten ignored them, making as accurate a copy of the map as she could on a scrap of paper. Suddenly, Lee jumped a little in surprise. Instantly, his three companions were on the alert, looking for what had startled him. "It is nothing," Lee said quickly. "I simply…er, found something."

Tenten raised an eyebrow at the uncomfortable look on Lee's face. "In the packs? What is it?"

Lee coughed modestly, and Tenten felt her alarm replaced with mild amusement. Lee only got _that_ look when he was faced with "matters of a delicate and feminine nature," as Gai occasionally put it. Naruto leaned over to look into the bag at Lee's feet. "Some kinda weapon or something?" he asked.

Lee hastily snapped the bag closed. "It seems this individual has a fondness for, ah, close-range weaponry," he said.

That didn't sound so bad. Besides, it was always interesting to see how people adapted different things into weapons. "What kind?" Tenten asked curiously, sticking the original map back where she'd found it.

"Whips," Lee said, shrugging. Tenten looked at him questioningly, wondering what was so embarrassing about whips. "Colorful ones," Lee told her. "With…accessories."

"Ah," Tenten bit back a laugh.

"What, like with feathers and stuff?" Naruto scratched the back of his head while Lee turned vaguely purple and Tenten doubled over in silent laughter. Of course Uzumaki would know about stuff like that, she thought. And would talk about it in the open like it was no big deal. Behind the man, Hinata was standing with her back to them as she scanned the woods, but her shoulders were nearly rigid under her jacket. Naruto wrinkled his nose, oblivious. "Death by fetish," he said. "That's, uh, wow. Kind of an embarrassing way to die."

Tenten smirked. "I can think of a worse one," she remarked over her shoulder. She stood up and turned to face the group, holding something she had deftly pulled from Lee's sack before he closed it. She snapped it open with a practiced flick of her wrist, revealing an iron-ribbed fan edged in glittering fluffy pink lace. She fluttered it for a moment in front of her face and then winked at them. "Death by lace," she snickered.

Naruto made a face. "Yeah, okay, that's totally worse."

"I think," Lee said carefully, "that now would be excellent time to continue on our way." He put the last bag back into the hole and stood up, regaining some of this normal exuberance as he did. "Come, my friends! Those villagers are in need of our assistance!"

* * *

Hinata gave a little gasp of sorrow as they came around the hills surrounding Taiji Village, and Naruto swore aloud. Tenten and Lee exchanged grim looks as they assessed the damage. A huge mound of mud and rock had collapsed from one of the larger hills, right over the western half of the village. Even from this distance, Tenten could tell that at least a dozen houses had been buried, and several more damaged. Desperate people were digging around in the rubble, while others sat desolately amid the shambles of their village. Hinata pointed, and Tenten followed her hand to see that the Konoha chunin medical team had set up a base camp right in the middle of the town's square.

"Hinata, Lee, you get started with those search and rescue teams," Tenten ordered. "Naruto, do a standard sweep along the hills, fire a green flare if you find anymore victims outside the village, red if you see signs of enemies. I'll go report in to the field commander."

"Right, we will save all the villagers and clear their homes by tomorrow morning!" Lee announced confidently. He shot off towards the diggers, shedding his pack and booming out a greeting as he went. Hinata followed close behind, veins standing out on her face as she scanned through the rubble for survivors.

Naruto dropped his own sack and pulled out two flares, watching Hinata and Lee go with a worried expression. "Watch out for any more slides," he yelled after them. Hinata turned and waved back at him in acknowledgment, still running after Lee. "Don't forget our deal!" he added. Hinata nodded, smiling, and then she and Lee disappeared into the village. Tenten raised an eyebrow at Naruto, but he merely grinned at her disarmingly. He flipped her a jaunty salute and disappeared into the hills. Tenten watched him go with a thoughtful expression, and then she shrugged and headed for the medical tent.

Tenten found the on-scene field commander, a chunin medic named Ito Ken, in a hastily erected tent at the base camp. "The initial damage reports were wrong," the medic-nin told her as she entered the tent. "We thought it was just a few damaged houses, which is why we only brought a couple medics." He gestured outside. "But when we saw the extent of it, we sent back for more help."  
Tenten nodded; this was all stuff she already knew. She glanced around, confirming that no one else was near except the poor half-dead woman on the medic's table and the local nurse helping Ito. "Have you figured out what caused the landslide?"

Ito glanced up at her sharply before bending his head back to his patient. "That would be your job, of course," he said peevishly. He tossed a bloody rag into a basin, a process which required him to turn away from the table and face Tenten. _Sabotage_, he mouthed at her.

"Ah," Tenten said. "Of course."

"Then you'd better get on with it," Ito nodded, wiping his hands clean. He moved so quickly that she barely caught the Konoha hand signal Ito made before he turned back towards his table. Tenten turned and left the tent. She spotted Hinata several feet away, and quickly repeated the medic's hand sign to the other kunoichi. _Enemies nearby. Be careful. _Hinata did not turn, but she nodded her head to show that she understood. As Tenten headed out into the crowd, she heard the Hyuuga's clear, sweet voice over the scrape and shuffle of dirt as she issued orders to the diggers, directing them away from weak spots and towards the trapped people.

The Taiji leader was an old man, bent and wrinkled with age and leaning heavily on a stout hardwood cane. But he looked Tenten up and down with clear, perceptive eyes and invited her into his home, one of the few dwellings not overrun with injured or weeping villagers. "It happened very suddenly," he said, once the formalities were finished. "Middle of the day, too, and no rain the night before."

Tenten nodded and looked out the window, watching Lee toss heavy boulders away from a damaged rooftop peaking through the mud. "Are mudslides common in these parts?" she asked. "It seems likely, without a lot of trees to stop the erosion."

The elder shook his gray head. "In times of heavy rains, it happens sometimes, although I have never seen one this big before. But it has been a dry season. I don't even know how there came to be so much moisture on that hill."

Water techniques, Tenten thought unhappily. Maybe those random Mist shinobi who attacked Chouji's team weren't so random after all. The Hokage was _not_ going be pleased.

"Thank you for your information, sir," Tenten said, bowing and getting to her feet. "I had better get on with my job then."

"It has been a very dry season," the old man repeated suddenly. Tenten stopped at the door and turned to look back at him curiously. "There are those who blame our troubles on the new Lord," the old man said quietly, looking absently up at the ceiling.

"Are there many who say that in this village?" Tenten asked carefully.

The old man shifted his attention from the door to the window, and in a very low voice, he said, simply, "There were."

Tenten followed his gaze to the biggest burial mound she had ever seen, and thought, the Hokage is _really_ not going to be pleased.

"Hinata," Tenten tapped the woman on the shoulder. "Are there any more survivors?"

Hinata turned to look at her, face sad. "I…we got here too late." She bowed her head. "It's just a recovery mission now."

Tenten nodded. "Lee!" She yelled up to the top of the dirt. Her teammate's dark bowlcut popped up immediately, covered in mud and dust. "We're going on a sweep!" Tenten told him. "Do what you can; we'll be back in an hour or so."

"Go safely, my good friends!" Lee yelled back, hands too full of rock and debris to give them a thumbs up. "I will defend this village in the meantime, with my very life!"

"Come on," Tenten jerked her head towards the hills. "Let's go see what Naruto found, okay?"

* * *

They didn't speak until they were well out of the village and into the surrounding hills, then Tenten shook her head. "The village elder says this probably wasn't a natural mudslide."

Hinata nodded. "I saw signs of water chakra residue in the mud."

"He also hinted that there were a lot of rebels in the village," Tenten examined a patch of torn-up grass. "People who spoke against Lord Masaru. It looks like the mudslide wiped a bunch of them out."

"That could be coincidence," Hinata said softly.

Tenten nodded, noting that the grass was bent back towards the forests. Whoever had passed this way had been headed to the trees, and had been here very recently. "Yeah, but we already know Masaru likes to use hired shinobi to take care of his problems. It's possible he's got some other hidden village shinobi working for hi-"

Hinata slammed a hand between Tenten's shoulder blades, knocking her into the dirt.

Tenten just barely managed to tuck her head in and catch her weight across her shoulders, sending herself rolling down the sandy hillside. She ended up kneeling several feet away, hands full of knives as she scanned the area rapidly. Hinata was in a crouch ten or so feet above her, looking down at Tenten with her hands poised to strike. Behind her, the top of the hill where they had been standing was now shrouded in thick grey fog.

The Hyuuga shifting her stance, but Tenten was already moving, whirling hard and fast to catch the man sneaking up behind her in the neck with the hilt of her kunai. Instantly, Hinata was at her back, palms flashing towards the attacker's face. The man avoided the worst of Tenten's blow, though, and dodged back out of Hinata's strike range.

"Three," Hinata whispered in Tenten's ear, then settled into her Eight Trigrams stance at Tenten's back. The fog from the hilltop was sweeping down towards them, faster than any natural fog could move. It rolled and lapped around their legs like water, swirling around them as it slowly rose around their legs, their waists, their chests. In a couple seconds, Tenten realized, they were going to be completely enveloped in the suffocating fog.

"Where?" she whispered.

"Two south and low at fifteen feet, one northeast and high at twenty-five feet," Hinata answered immediately.

And one of us totally blind, Tenten thought with disgust as the fog finally reached their faces and swelled up over their heads. Well, let's see what we can do to even the odds a little.

"They're moving on us," Hinata whispered calmly. "Circling in east to west."

"Stay with me," Tenten ordered Hinata in a low voice, then drew a handful of small, disc-shaped objects from her scrolls. The two women started to run, Tenten scattered the black discs in their wake, taking care to drop them in small depressions or clumps of grass, where it would be easy for someone in a hurry to overlook them.

_BOOM! BOOM!_

Tenten looked over to Hinata hopefully, but she shook her head and held up only one finger. Damn, Tenten thought. Two of her mines had been triggered, but they had only caused one pursuer to drop out of the chase. That left two to go. Briefly, she wondered if she had been setting the sensors in her traps too sensitive again, and felt a small smile tug unbidden on her lips. Then she refocused her attention on the problem at hand, like the professional kunoichi she had trained hard to become. She could moon about her hormone issues later, when her ass wasn't on the line.

Tenten stowed the remainder of her disc-shaped mines back in her pouch. Now that the enemy knew the landmines were out there, they would be on the lookout for anymore hastily laid traps. The gambit had worked once, but she'd have to come up with something new, and quickly.

The world seemed to get even darker than before, and Tenten had the oddest sensation that she was wrapped in thick, wet woolen blankets. She struggled to control her breathing, to keep it light and silent as they ran. But it was harder than it should have been. She was practically gasping, and they weren't even moving as fast as she usually could go… "The fog," Tenten choked in sudden understanding.

Hinata nodded, her voice sounded muffled even from only a few inches away. "It's full of water chakra," she agreed. "It's trying to condense in our lungs."

They're going to drown us in air, Tenten thought. Instantly, both women swerved to head back towards the tops of the hills. If they could get to higher ground, the wind might be strong enough to clear some of the fog away. As they cleared the top of the nearest hill, Tenten pulled an extra large exploding note from her pouch and tossed it directly above them. She and Hinata threw themselves to the ground, ducking to avoid the fireball that blossomed overhead. The heat and flames expanded rapidly, devouring the fog and drying the kunoichi slightly. But all too soon, the flames flickered and died, collapsing in under the cold, wet press of the fog.

By then, of course, they were already under attack.

Tenten managed to roll to her back just in time to block the blade whistling for her neck. Tenten sucked in a breath, pushing hard as her kunci locked with the enemy's katana just over her eyes. Behind the sword, the enemy shinobi – a young, pretty woman with black hair and narrowed eyes – grunted as she struggled to force the sharp edge into Tenten's face. To the left, Hinata had vanished into the fog, but Tenten had no time to look for her mission partner. With a sharp kick and a deft twist of her upper body, Tenten threw the enemy shinobi over her head and came to her own feet. Before she was even fully upright she had a deadly curved scimitar in each hand. The enemy kunoichi attacked instantly, and Tenten knocked her aside. The woman bared her teeth and spun at Tenten again, with more force and aggression than grace. By now Tenten had a good gauge of her style and range, and was able to send the assailant stumbling against the now-muddy hillside.

Again, the enemy kunoichi charged, swinging at Tenten's chest. "You're overbalancing," Tenten said calmly, stepping to the side and catching the katana between her two scimitars. With a flick of her wrist, she wrenched it from the enemy kunoichi's grasp.

"Shut up!" The woman snarled again and hurled a handful of kunai at the Leaf kunoichi, which Tenten dodged. "You Konoha dog!" She could have blocked them or even caught them, but there was no need to get cocky. Not while the enemy still had at least one active teammate somewhere in the choking fog.

"You know, I know a guy who would be kind of offended at that," Tenten remarked, dodging low to let the next wave of kunai sail over her head. "But probably not for the reasons you think." Hinata, she thought. Where the hell is Hinata? And didn't Lee and Naruto hear those landmines? Freaking fog!

"You're all dogs," the kunoichi spat. "When Masaru gets done with this province-"

Tenten dropped to the ground, barely in time to avoid the dark shape that came hurtling through the heavy fog. It sailed over her head and straight into the furious enemy kunoichi. She dove backwards, but it was too late. The woman went down under the weight of a large, red-faced man with close-cropped hair and black tattoos all over his arms and face. "Yasuo!" The woman gasped. "Get off me!"

Tenten took the opportunity to move back, just enough to lose sight of her enemies in the fog but close enough to hear them. A second later, a light hand tapped her shoulder. "I think they're working with Masaru," she murmured quietly.

Hinata rematerialized at her side like a ghost in the fog. She nodded solemnly. "The man was making the fog," she whispered. "I have incapacitated most of his chakra system, though."

"Good, now let's see what we can find out." Tenten gestured, and the Hyuuga nodded in understanding. She started walking silently through the gray hills, showing Tenten where to walk so that the enemy could not see them. "So tell me," Tenten called out, following Hinata through the gray hills and slowly dissipating fog. "How many innocents do you think died in that village, along with all Lord Masaru's enemies?"

Hinata raised a hand and caught the kunai that came whistling at Tenten's face. "This isn't over, Konoha cowards!" The woman's voice was shrill with rage. "Get out here and fight us!"

"Several," a rumbling male voice replied grimly. "It was early in the morning, before everyone was gone to work."

Tenten felt her eyes narrow. "You're awfully casual about it," she said accusingly.

"You don't really care how I feel," the male voice responded, in a steady tone. "And you don't really want to fight us."

"Don't I?"

"No," the woman yelled. "Because the Taneda clan could crush you like the gutless worms you are!"

Tenten felt herself go still. Hinata turned her head sharply towards her, eyes wide. "Taneda," she said softly.

"Yeah," Tenten replied, softly. "Taneda."

Another volley of kunai forced the Leaf kunoichi to duck, but it was obvious the female was throwing at random. "Get out here!" she screamed. "Come out and face me, you murdering cowards!"

Taneda Shun, Tenten thought almost sadly. I guess I should have expected there to be some kind of consequences for that fight.

"Come, Leaf," the big man said solemnly. "You must answer to us for what you have done."

Thinking of bodies buried in mud, Tenten raised her scimitars. "And so must you," she replied levelly.

Suddenly, Hinata was in front of her, clearly visible as the last of the unnatural fog burned away. "Enough," she said, and though her voice was no louder than ever, there was a note of authority, of _command_, that made Tenten look up at her in surprise. Slightly below them on the hilltop, the two enemy shinobi – the Taneda clansmen – seemed to freeze as the petite Hyuuga raised a hand, palm out, towards them both. "That's enough," Hinata said again, and pointed to the large man. "You are going to fall down now," she said simply.

And to Tenten's utter amazement, he did.

"Yasuo!" The enemy kunoichi shrieked. She crouched at the man's side, clutching at his body armor and shaking him. He didn't move. "What did you _do_?" she yelled up at Hinata.

"I closed off most of his chakra system," Hinata said, one hand still outstretched regally. "And I put a little of my own inside his body. Just enough to completely shut him down if I needed to." She sounded said, but then she tilted her chin and put back her shoulders. "Now," she said, once more with that commanding tone, moving into her fighting stance. "_You_ will remove your genjutsu and help your teammate carry this man from this place, and you will not return."

The enemy kunoichi was looking down at her fallen teammate, so she missed the quick hand signal that Hinata flashed to Tenten.

Tenten, recovering her wits, instantly pointed her scimitars in the direction Hinata's hand signal had indicated. The air seemed to waver and shimmer for a moment, then the illusion dropped and a third enemy shinobi, a thin sharp featured man, appeared on the hillside. He stepped slowly towards the other two, keeping an eye on Tenten's sharp blades as they followed him along the hillside. "Kill her, Jiro!" the woman hissed at him, "Kill the white-eyes before her jutsu kills Yasuo!"

"Shut up," the third man replied impassively. "We've lost here, Fujita. Just help me get Yasuo and let's go." He turned his narrow face towards them, and for a moment Tenten saw a thinner, shorter version of Taneda Shun staring at her with carefully blank eyes. "But we'll meet again, Leaf," he said quietly. "We have business with you."

Tenten nodded.

Hinata moved her hands, a tiny little readjustment of her fingers. The enemy shinobi took the warning, picking up the unconscious man between them and vanishing into the hills.

"Are you alright?" Tenten looked up to see Hinata staring at her with a concerned expression and one hand partly extended towards her.

She smiled crookedly. "The Hokage is going to be really unhappy about this."

**

"Hinata! Tenten! Don't worry, I'm here to save you!"

"Oh, um, thanks, Naruto."

"Yeah, you're my hero and stuff."

"You betcha, ladies! So…where are the bad guys?"

**


	16. Rumors and Scandals Part II

_Notes_: The SkItZ Returns! Okay, much of this chapter (and the next) was actually inspired by, well…filler episodes. The first half of this chapter was inspired by the filler arc wherein Naruto and Team 8 go looking for a bug that may be able to lead them to Sasuke via scent. You get to see a lot of Shino's personality, style, and most importantly his attitude towards his team in that arc. And yes, you see some potential Naruto/Hinata interaction. If Naruto/Hinata bothers you because it's a crack pairing that will never happen, I politely point to the summary of this story.

_Goals_: To get back into the groove. To set up for the big plot developments that are coming soon (I know, I know, finally). And to illustrate some of the problems that Tenten and Shino would have in a relationship.

_Warnings_: Long chapter. Much cussing.

**Chapter 15**

**Rumors and Scandals Part II**

Tenten had expected that she and her mission partners would be sent directly to the Hokage when they arrived back in Konoha's dispatch office. She'd figured that the Hokage would want to know exactly what had brought four shinobi back so quickly from a natural disaster aid mission. She'd even anticipated that the Hokage would most likely have at least one member of the village council already waiting in her office to hear why they had been moving through Konoha's grounds at top speed and making straight for the office.

What she did not expect were the dozen or so hostile-looking Hyuuga clustered around the Hokage's desk. And she really hadn't anticipated Hyuuga Hiashi turning so fast to face her that she nearly drew a weapon in defense, and saying in the most outraged tone she'd ever heard from the icily controlled man, "You, young lady, _will explain yourself_ this _instant_."

Tenten stared at the outstretched palm pointed directly at her heart, feeling her mouth drop slightly in shock and trying to snap it shut again before anyone saw. Wildly she scanned her memory for anything she'd said or done to offend the leader of the Hyuuga clan, but hell, she'd hardly seen Neji these last few days what with separate missions and all. And she hadn't seen Hiashi for weeks, at least.

Speaking of Neji, Tenten's addled brain registered him standing a few feet behind his uncle, watching her with an impassive expression. Tenten flicked an eyebrow at him, and he shook his head slightly. Only then did Tenten hear the soft intake of breath behind her, and realize what was happening. Feeling a little like a traitor, she stepped to the side, revealing Hinata's pale, shocked face and tense body.

"F-father," Hinata murmured.

"Whoa, hey, watch it with the finger, old man," Naruto pushed past Lee into the office. He took up station next to Hinata, arms folded and face sour. He opened his mouth to say more, but Hiashi cut him off, shifting his outstretched palm to point directly at the blond man's striped face.

"_You _will not speak to me!" Hiashi thundered, and Tenten was further shocked to see the faintest tinge of red in his ivory cheeks. She'd never once seen the Hyuuga leader look so furious, so un-freaking-hinged. "_You_," Hiashi snarled the word like a curse, "will leave this place _immediately!_"

Naruto's arms unfolded, his fists came up, and his face flushed with rage as he bellowed back. "I'd like to see you _make _me, you - "

"Wait," Hinata pleaded, turning from Hiashi to Naruto with a stricken look on her face.

"My friends, please," Lee reached to grab Uzumaki's shoulder before he could launch himself at the older Hyuuga.

"What the fuck is this?" A new voice broke in, and Tenten saw Kiba and Akamaru bounding into the office behind Lee. Kiba dodged around Lee to stand beside Hinata, caught sight of the assembled Hyuuga, and he and the big nin-dog immediately bristled. "So it's true," he growled. "I thought it was just another crazy rumor, but you stuck up ass-wipes really are gonna try to kick Hinata out."

Tenten gasped a little, and saw that most of the room's reaction mirrored hers (even some of the Hyuuga looked startled). Hiashi, however, did not so much as twitch. "Stay out of this, Inuzuka," he ordered, lowering his arm and folding it into his wide sleeve imperiously. "This concerns neither you nor the Aburame."

"You are incorrect," Shino replied, appearing suddenly in the shadow of the door frame. "Why? Your interference of our teammate's future concerns us very much."

"Hiashi," one of the other Hyuuga murmured, sounding uncomfortable. "The question of succession was not discussed among the clan council."

"That is because I had not planned on disinheriting the girl," Hiashi responded without turning, his voice cold. "She will obey her father, her clan, and her duty, and that will be the end of this outrage."

"Outrage?" Kiba repeated incredulously. "_Outrage_? _You_ think _her_ behavior is an outrage? I oughtta -" Tenten shot out an arm, blocking Akamaru's bared fangs with a hastily summoned katana as Lee struggled to restrain both Kiba and Naruto without having to physically knock them out. What the _hell_ is going on here, Tenten thought in confusion and alarm. And somebody do something about it before it turns into a bloodbath!

"Hyuuga Hiashi has discovered the relationship between his daughter and Uzumaki Naruto," a deep voice said in her ear. Tenten jumped a little, both at Shino's sudden proximity and at the revelation. Hinata and Naruto, she thought, blinking. Well, that explained the angry Hyuuga, the not-yet-violent confrontation, and possibly the shear horror on Hinata's face. And why Hinata's teammates had shown up at the Hokage's office looking decidedly battle ready. At her feet, Akamaru bunched his muscles suddenly, ready to spring over her blade and make for the Hyuuga clan leader. Out of the corner of her eye, Tenten saw Neji shift position, ready to defend his uncle. Tenten started to channel the chakra to summon a few shuriken, but Shino turned his head sharply to look directly at the huge dog. Akamaru shook his head irritably, causing his ears to flap, but he settled down. Shino tilted his head towards Akamaru's human partner, and Kiba snorted but likewise stopped tensing to spring.

"You have a _responsibility,_" Hiashi said, and Tenten hastily tuned back in to what was going on.

"Uncle," Neji interrupted, and Tenten detected the carefully hidden note of disapproval in her teammate's voice. "This is unbecoming."

"Yes, it is, and I intend to make that clear to her," Hiashi replied, but from the brief look of exasperation that flashed over Neji's face, Tenten knew that the older Hyuuga had missed Neji's point. "A responsibility," Hiashi continued in an acid voice, "to your name, your village, and your clan. You _cannot_ run around like a common street harlot with any random blood-tainted little _boy_ who happens to catch your whimsy."

The stream of curses, challenges, and insults that erupted from both sides of the room nearly deafened Tenten. She looked over at Shino with the vague idea that his customary silence might mute a little of it. His hands were still deep in his pockets, but his chin was down and his eyebrows made a deep vee-shape on his forehead. And when he turned his head slightly towards her in response to her scrutiny, she got such a sudden impression of seething anger that she jolted back a step, blinking in surprise.

But then she looked over Shino's shoulder to Hinata, and the shock of Shino's churning anger was overwhelmed by the shock of what she saw on the Hyuuga woman's face. Hinata was pale, frozen, and she looked like she was trying not to faint or vomit…but at Hiashi's last words, something in her eyes had _shifted_. Tenten frowned and tried to tilt her head to get a better look at the other kunoichi's face, but her angle and Kiba's head in the way made it hard for her to see clearly.

"Lady Hokage," Hiashi wheeled sharply on his heel, pulling himself up to his full regal height. "I demand that this office notarize and seal my decree. The Hyuuga heir will either put aside this _boy,_ or she will cease to _be _the Hyuuga heir."

"_How dare you_-" Naruto's shout was oddly hoarse, and Tenten thought for one strange moment that his bright blue eyes glinted an unnatural reddish color in the flickering lights of the Hokage's office. The air suddenly seemed thick, and Tenten's heart jolted as a wave of chakra seemed to sweep through the room. She wanted suddenly to raise her katana and attack, but…attack what? Automatically, Tenten mentally marked Neji and Lee's distance and positions and reached for her scroll. Beside her, Shino's chakra flared as he pulled his hands free from his pockets, and she instinctively stepped closer, feeling the pull of his chakra as it called to the kikkai he probably had scattered all throughout this room. If the Hyuuga attacked, Shino's kikkai could shield her long enough to reach Lee, and then Neji could -

"Enough," the Hokage's voice cut through the charged air. "Naruto, control yourself. _Now_."

Just as suddenly as it had come, Tenten felt the dark surge of chakra fade. The Hyuuga were resettling themselves, dropping their partially raised hands and blinking almost identically expressions of mild embarrassment from their faces. Tenten didn't realize that her own hands were still hovering around her scroll until she felt something small and ticklish run across her fingers meaningfully. She glanced down, then flicked the kikkai back at Shino with a sheepish half-grin, rising up from her crouch.

"Lady Hokage," a soft, gentle voice said in the small silence that followed. The gathered shinobi turned to the speaker as one, and Tenten felt the ripple of surprise run all throughout the room. Hinata was standing alone in the middle of the room, her hands clasped in front of her and her head slightly bowed. Tenten was unsurprised to see the instant blush that painted her cheeks when all eyes were on her; all that attention was probably terrifying to the shy young woman. But the expression on Hinata's face was now anything but terrified.

"Yes, Hyuuga Hinata?" Tsunade asked, folding her hands on the desk before her in a businesslike manner.

"Lady Hokage," Hinata took a deep breath, and raised her head to look directly at Hiashi. "Father. I remind you that the Hyuuga clan is governed internally by the Clan Charter, written by our ancestors at the founding of the Main House twenty generations ago. In that Charter, it is specifically written that no heir of the Main branch may be disinherited unless they are proven to be physically incapable of upholding the duties of the Hyuuga clan. Since I have recently become a jounin-" Hinata paused at the sudden shock that painted Hiashi's face, and bit her lip, "I b-became a jounin three days ago, Father," she murmured in a much softer, more hesitant voice. "But it was Hanabi's b-birthday and I didn't think…" she trailed off, looking more uncertain by the second. With a determined, intentionally rude expression on his face, Naruto grabbed her hand, glaring at the gathered Hyuuga defiantly. Hiashi's face darkened, but Hinata's turned resolute again, and she continued in a firm voice.

"I am a jounin, and an accomplished shinobi in Konoha," she said. "And Naruto is a good man who will not bring any kind of shame or disadvantage to our clan. He is a good man, and I – " Hinata's voice hitched just slightly, but her expression stayed calm. "I want him, and I will not give him up," she finished decisively. Then she turned her head to look past her father and directly at Tsunade. "Lady Hokage, the only option, should my father truly wish to disinherit me, is to kill me."

Tenten felt Shino go very still behind her. To her left, Neji's hands came slowly out of his folded sleeves, and Kiba and Akamaru were already snarling, fangs out and ready to leap. Naruto, however, made no move to prepare for battle, but that was possibly because he was staring at Hinata like she'd just told him he was the next Hokage.

"And if that is truly his wish," Hinata smiled, and raised her hands into her Eight Trigrams stance. "I welcome him to try."

Utter silence, broken only by the barely perceptible sound of Neji refolding his arms. "I would like to add, Lady Hokage," he said, in what Tenten liked to call his 'Loftier Than Thou' tone, "that should my esteemed uncle feel such an elimination necessary, he would find himself short of more than one powerful asset to the clan."

"That means even Girly-Man would walk away if you try to kick Hinata out," Kiba translated joyfully. "See?" he hissed at Shino. "I pay attention too."

"Hmm," the Hokage murmured, looking at the tableau of expressions in her office, ranging from stunned to defiant to appraising. Several of the Hyuuga elders standing around Hiashi were suddenly eyeballing the young Hyuuga heir with a calculating look. Tenten realized that she was holding her breath, and then realized a beat later that she was listening for the faint buzz of attacking kikkai. If Shino moved on the Hyuuga to protect his teammate, that was likely the only warning she'd have before the melee broke out.

"This would appear to be clan business after all," Tsunade said eventually. "Which means I cannot interfere. Unless, of course, you feel the need to fight to the death in my office. In that case, I would be forced to break all your heads open until order could be restored, because I am not in the mood for redecorating today. So. Hiashi?"

Another small, tight silence, and then the Hyuuga leader seemed to reanimate from statue to human again. "No, Lady Hokage," he said quietly. He folded his arms back into his sleeves, and his face gave absolutely nothing away. But his eyes stayed trained on his elder daughter. "I do not foresee any more fighting among my clan members today. Forgive my interruption; I believe there is a mission team coming in with a vital report." Tenten, who had years of studying Hyuuga expressions, had the distinct impression that Hiashi was seeing his daughter in a whole new light, and might just possibly be liking what he saw.

"Very well," Tsunade replied evenly. "In that case, I must return to the business at hand. But Hiashi," she flicked her eyes at Hinata, then back to the Hyuuga leader. "I anticipate a meeting of the clan heads very soon. And I expect to see _all_ the leadership of your clan represented."

Hiashi nodded. "Yes, Lady Hokage."

He strode out the door without a backwards glance. But Tenten could have sworn she saw just the slightest hint of pride on his face as he went.

Naruto raised his fist at the gathered Hyuuga, looped his other arm around Hinata's waist, and screamed, "Spin on _that_, you fusty old bastards!" Then, as the Hyuuga filed out with various offended expressions on their faces (Neji rolled his eyes at Tenten and Lee as he passed), Naruto swept Hinata up in a bear hug and whirled her across the office floor, whooping at the top of his lungs.

_Holy crap_, Tenten thought as Kiba and Lee joined in the revelry and the room turned into a mad riot of noise, with only Shino and Tenten standing quietly to the side. Tenten glanced up at Shino, who was leaning casually against the wall by the door as if nothing unusual had just happened. His head was turned towards the celebration, but when Tenten flashed him a grin and a quick thumbs up, he nodded once in response. Tenten turned her grin to the others as Lee grabbed her wrists and swung her around to Hinata, and she gave the Hyuuga a congratulatory hug. "That was awesome," she said, then winked. "Heck, I think even _I_ love you a little right now." And then she laughed as Hinata turned an even deeper red, Kiba fell to the floor howling with laughter, and Naruto shook a mock fist at her and pulled his girlfriend closer.

* * *

Tenten sighed and stretched her arms over her head as she walked down the hallway towards the front desk. Well, she'd been right about one thing, at least.

The Hokage had not been happy.

Once Tsunade had managed to calm Naruto down and kick Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru out of the office, Tenten and the others from the mission had lined up before her desk to give their report. The Hokage's expression had remained calm and contemplative while Tenten spoke, and when Hinata added her part of the report about the battle with the three Taneda shinobi. But her eyes had narrowed considerably when Tenten mentioned the possible connection between Taneda and Masaru, and the 'cleansing' Masaru seemed to be doing of his enemies. "It is likely," Tsunade had remarked, when they were done with their report, "that Masaru intends to include Konoha shinobi in his cleansing."

"We had no indication of that," Tenten had responded, surprised. "I think they just attacked us because we were there."

"There is evidence," the Hokage replied, "that the Mist Shinobi attack on Chouji's genin team a few weeks ago was a mission ordered by Masaru, the first in a series of hired shinobi attacks against Konoha teams."

Tenten had felt her stomach twist as she realized the full implications of that statement.

"So this Masaru dude is hiring other shinobi to attack our people while they're out on missions?" Naruto sounded as horrified and angry as Tenten felt. "_What?_ Oh man, Old Lady, you gotta tell me where he's at so I can go kick his ass!"

"We don't know," Tsunade replied heavily. "He went into hiding three days ago, just after you left for Taiji village. He must have known we would find out about the shinobi assassins and the intentional mudslides in those villages - " she raised a finger to cut off their questions, "Yes, three more villages suffered mudslides or some similar phenomena in that area. Someone is deliberately wiping out all the villages where anti-Masaru feeling is strongest. And now they're attacking Konoha teams as well. The Taneda are probably behind that – they most likely convinced Masaru that we were a threat to his rule."

Then she had sighed and waved a hand at the four of them, dismissing them. "I recommend you leave through the back exit, by the way," she'd called as Naruto and Hinata lead the way out of the office. Tenten, her mind still wrapped up in the problem of Masaru and the Taneda clan, hadn't really paid attention, but now she was starting to realize why.

Ahead of her, Naruto was walking with Hinata; every few feet, he picked her up and spun her around, or kissed her on the cheek, or did something else that made her squeak and turn bright red as she surreptitiously checked for any bystanders. Which, of course, there were plenty of, since the news of the Hyuuga heiress and the exuberant Uzumaki had already blown through Konoha like a tornado. People were crowded in doorways as they passed, or lounging around on the stairs in groups as if they were merely having a chat with their friends and not straining to watch Hinata and Naruto pass.

Lee walked alongside Tenten, and Tenten listened with half an ear and a small smile as her teammate exclaimed about the wondrous beauty and power of great love between two such vibrant youths. Tenten scanned the crowd gathered in the front office as the four shinobi entered, ignoring the buzz of gossip and congratulations (and good-natured teasing) that sprang up as soon as Hinata and Naruto appeared. Hinata gasped and nearly froze, but Naruto grinned and shouted back happily.

Ah, there was Neji, Tenten noted at last as her own Hyuuga teammate appeared in the crowd. Good, now she and her boys could go get some lunch and maybe chat a little bit about the Taneda and the possible war with Masaru…but Neji merely shook his head at her and moved directly towards Naruto and Hinata. "Uzumaki," he said over the noise. "A word, if you will."

Catcalls and laughter rang throughout the room, and Naruto scratched his head sheepishly, but he followed Neji out the door, Hinata following close behind with a worried expression on her face. Lee shot Tenten a look, but she gestured a casual dismissal at him. "Go on, Neji will need you as backup," she told him, and with a thumbs up and a grin, Lee jumped to follow. Outside, Tenten caught a glimpse of Kiba's tattoos as the door swung shut behind Lee.

"They wish to inform Uzumaki of the potential consequences of dating Hinata," Shino said from beside her, and Tenten smiled.

"Ah. Figured. So why aren't you-?"

"I have no need to make threats," Shino replied calmly, stepping around a few giggling chunin as he walked with her towards the exit. "Why not? It is Hinata's business whom she chooses to love, and she is perfectly capable of dealing with him should he misbehave." He paused thoughtfully, holding the door open for Tenten to precede him outside. "And if I must kill him," he continued, "I see no reason to give him any warning."

"That's…vaguely alarming, Shino."

He shrugged. "As is Hinata's attachment to Uzumaki."

"Very funny. Though you got a point; they're pretty polar opposites, aren't they?" Tenten laughed. "Tell me, oh observant one, how long have _you_ known about Hinata and the ramen-eating wonder?"

"She has had an…attraction to him for years."

"I'm not all that surprised at her father's reaction, though," Tenten mused. "I can see his whole my-heir-will-marry-who-I-say sentiment, though I didn't think he'd react so strongly. I mean, I thought he was going to have a freaking _aneurism._"

"There is an inherent danger in such a relationship," Shino said, and Tenten whipped her head around to glower at him.

"You can't seriously think he'll hurt her?"

"I was speaking from a clan's point of view," he replied calmly. "Hyuuga Hiashi called Uzumaki 'blood-tainted.' That means that he believes Uzumaki's blood is incompatible with the Hyuuga bloodline limit."

"So…" Tenten bit her lip as she worked through that one. "If they got married and have kids, the kids won't have Byakugen?"

Shino shrugged. "Possibly."

"Oh. Well that explains Hiashi's hissy fit, then. Man." She shook her head and sighed. "That could be a real problem for them, couldn't it?"

"Today Hinata has won them the right to make that choice for themselves," Shino said.

"Yeah, that was completely amazing. You know, I never would have even guessed those two as a couple in the first place," Tenten frowned, wondering if she'd been oblivious herself. "I knew she blushed and stuff a lot around him, but she's a pretty sensitive girl and he's, uh, not sensitive at all. I never had the slightest idea they were in love."

"That is because you are not personally familiar with Uzumaki, and have mostly only known Hinata through Neji or myself." Tenten tilted her head at him questioningly, and he shrugged again. "He has been following her around off duty for months."

"But he's such a perv. I mean, look at how he still hangs around the women's bathhouses and stuff. I just didn't have him pegged as a committing type of guy."

"Then you do him an injustice," Shino replied. "Whatever else may be said of Uzumaki Naruto, he has always shown great commitment to his goals."

"Yeah," Tenten nodded, then laughed. "I guess this one kind of kills two birds with one knife, huh? He gets to have Hinata, and he gets to totally change the way the Hyuuga clan operates, just like he promised Neji when we were kids. Wow. Tricky." She shook her head. "And half the village still thinks he's the biggest failure goofball Konoha's ever had."

"It is possible," Shino said gravely, "that we are all in for a great surprise."

"Well, good for them, anyway." Tenten smirked and shook her head. "I have to say though, I seriously thought some shit was going to go down in that office today."

"It was possible, but unlikely," Shino said. "The Hokage would not have permitted it, and too many of the Hyuuga leadership who came with Hiashi were startled and unhappy at the prospect of losing Hinata as the heir."

"Guess she's more popular with them than the gossip has it."

"Gossip," Shino said, a sudden sharp edge to his tone, "is a waste of time and energy that some would do well to discard."

"Yikes, did you hear something unflattering or something?" Tenten eyeballed him. "That sounded a little too personal."

He said nothing for a long moment, long enough for Tenten to get uncomfortable. She wondered if she'd offended him, but finally he said, "Perhaps it is." She raised an eyebrow at him, wondering how to get him to spill the beans without irritating him. As if guessing her train of thought, he shook his head slightly. "There are some people who cannot mind their own affairs."

"Yeah, I've met a few of those," Tenten grinned. "So, what have you heard that's got your back up? Aw, come on, I'm not asking because I want to spread it," she chided as his chin sunk further into his collar in a stubborn sort of way. "I'm just curious about what someone could be saying that you wouldn't just dismiss out of hand."

"No one says I did not dismiss it," he muttered, but she still got the strong impression that he was sulking inside his hood, and that was both funny and weirdly obnoxious for some reason.

"Obviously you didn't," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "I mean, if it's making you all grumpy like this, then it must have got under your skin somehow."

"It is of no consequence."

"That's not the point," she said.

"Is there one?" he responded roughly, and she could actually hear him trying to keep the irritation in check. But he wasn't trying very hard, she thought sourly. There was no need to be so rude to her just because she was _concerned_ for his well-being, for crying out loud.

"The _point_ is that you're apparently more unhappy about whatever this stupid rumor is than you want to admit. As your _friend_," she deliberately emphasized the word, letting him hear her own irritation at his behavior in her voice. "I'd like to know what's bugging – er, bothering you."

He said nothing, and in the long tense silence, Tenten noted Lee's chakra signature behind her. He was following them, close enough that he must know they were up ahead but staying a few blocks back. Well, maybe he was just headed in this direction himself, and thought it would be rude to interrupt Tenten's conversation with Shino. Although why he would think that, she certainly had no clue. If it had been Neji or something with her, he'd have burst right up to them. Why should Shino be any different from any other friend, Tenten thought fiercely, feeling a little of her anger at Shino's odd behavior bleeding into the thought. Stupid Lee, he should know better.

"There are those who believe that platonic relationships between the opposite genders are impossible." Shino said, then stopped again, considering. In a lower voice he added, "Especially if they are not members of the same team."

"I see," Tenten answered, and just barely managed to prevent herself from rolling her eyes again. That was it? He was getting all prickly about a 'so-and-so likes such-and-such' rumor? It seemed so ridiculous, so un-Shino-ish. "So, let me guess, someone said that you're with some girl?"

Shino made absolutely no reaction to her question, which pretty much told her all she needed to know. "It was me, wasn't it?" she said, and then laughed to cover up the sudden acceleration of her heart. All sorts of inappropriate thoughts rushed into her head, as well as a cluttered assortment of emotions that she refused to examine too closely right now. She could see the faintest of red tinges on the exposed part of Shino's cheek, and her fingers itched to reach up and touch the skin there, to see if it was warm.

_Stop that!_ She shook her head to clear it. _It's just the sunset reflecting on his skin. Oh please, don't let his kikkai be able to hear heartbeats,_ she thought desperately. _Good friend, remember? Respects you as a shinobi? Any of this ringing a bell? I _really_ don't want to make things weird between us! _

But under those thoughts, she felt a sharp stab of hurt. So the idea of being with her offended him that badly, huh? Maybe he was offended for her sake; maybe he thought that such rumors portrayed Tenten in a bad light…or maybe he just didn't like that their relationship was so openly friendly that other people had room to read into it. Maybe he even thought she had started the rumor herself. It didn't help, she thought sulkily, that even as half of her felt stung by his apparent rejection, the other half badly wanted to grab his collar and jerk his head down to her level.

"Well, don't worry," she said loudly, trying to control the half-embarrassed, half-hurt blush and failing miserably. "I'm sure this Naruto and Hinata thing will pretty much blow that right out of the rumor mill for awhile. They're way juicier, what with the Hyuuga going to the Hokage and Hinata standing up to them and everything. And," she forced her voice to be casually dismissive, "I doubt anyone would really believe something like _us_ anyway."

"Rock Lee has been following us for five blocks," Shino said softly in a strange tone of voice. She was probably just projecting her own feelings on him, but for just a moment she thought he'd sounded…hurt.

"Yeah, well, it's Lee, and we're, um, headed towards the training grounds." Tenten laughed nervously again, brutally forcing her breathing to stay calm and even. And then the reality of what she'd just said hit her, and she realized that if she kept going this way, they would probably end up sparring. Bad idea, since she was in such a muddle right now she wasn't sure if she wanted to reach up and kiss Shino or just headbutt him into next week.

"Well, I really ought to get home and clean up," she said abruptly. "I mean, I only just got back from a really long mission and we were kind of in a rush. And I get the feeling we'll all be heading out again pretty soon," she paused, biting her lip. "So I'll see you later, okay?"

Shino said nothing, but after a moment, he inclined his head slightly. Tenten smiled at him in as friendly and non-flirty way as she could, and then (hating herself a little for doing it, because it probably looked kind of insulting from his end even if he had no clue what was going on in her head), she fled.

Shino watched her go, his face wreathed in the deep shadows of his hood where the last dying rays of the sun could not reach.

**

"Aburame Shino!"

"Rock Lee."

"Ahem. Thank you for your attention, and I hope that you are well on this beautiful afternoon. Forgive my interruption of your perambulation, but it is vital that I discuss with you the importance of understanding that in Konoha, the most precious of flowers are encouraged to grow by the most vigilant of gardeners! Yosh, though they be beautiful and strong in their own right, there are always those who love them who will stand to protect them! Ah, it is wonderful that we could have this conversation! I will excuse myself now and allow you to continue in your quest for beauty and perfection. And remember, my friend, to hold that most valuable and precious of creatures high in your heart, and she will never fail you! Farewell!"

"…What?"

**


	17. Repercussions, Revelations, Replications

_Notes_: I'm behind on the manga, meaning I've probably gone AU by now from the canon Naruto-verse. So if I'm using dead characters or I'm ignoring some new uber-move someone's invented, forgive me. In the meantime, I've invented a few of my own. And if anyone has any heartburn about the way Tenten handles an injured man in this chapter, recall that whenever Lee is KO'd in a fight, Tenten's response is to violently shake him until he wakes up. And when Neji is passed out, she shoves a serving spoon of godawful spicy food halfway down his throat and tells him to pull himself together. So – Tenten, a gentle, tender, sympathetic nurse? Not bloody likely.

_Goals_: To write character development, a good Big Battle, and at least one good plot twist.

_Warnings_: Violence. Cursing. Chaos. Death.

Chapter 16

Repercussions, Revelations, and Replications

It wasn't that he'd been avoiding her, Shino thought. Both he and Tenten had been stationed at the Leaf base in Masaru's domain, a medium-sized camp intended to give the Leaf a closer base of operations as they began the large-scale hunt of Masaru's hired shinobi. It was not a large camp, only a few shacks and a series of tents set up to shelter and support about three dozen shinobi. The only reason he hadn't run into her yet was that they had differing schedules. She had pulled the day sweeps, and he had been assigned night sweeps.

So the fact that they had not spoken at all in over a week, since that day at the Hokage's office, was…coincidental.

All the same, for the first time since he'd known Tenten, he felt a twist of discontent when she appeared at his side in the mess tent. "Hey, long time no see," Tenten smiled almost tentatively at him, and he felt again the uncomfortable distance their last conversation seemed to have built between them. "I'm off early tonight," she went on, "Mind if I join you?" She nodded to the tray of food in her hands.

Shino shrugged, and led the way outside the tent to sit outside. Most shinobi tended to eat outside the tent, since inside was small, crowded, and smelled strongly of the undercooked (or in some cases, burnt) field rations. Shino sat on a nearby stump, and Tenten plopped herself down near his feet, wrinkling her nose at the non-descript green stuff on her tray that was probably some sort of vegetable once. "I wonder what this is supposed to be," she mused out loud, poking at the brown lump next to the green substance. "Meat? Nutritional supplement? Failed experiments in woodcarving?" She glanced up at him through her eyelashes, but looked away quickly when her feeble attempt at humor received no response.

"So…" she started again, picking up a forkful of the green stuff and eyeing it. "I saw Kiba today."

"Hm," he grunted, and saw her frown at his discouraging response.

"We were talking about the sweep," she tried again, cautiously. Shino felt a little guilty, knowing that he was behaving poorly. But he made no move to encourage the conversation, just the same. "He was telling me," Tenten went on determinedly, her voice carefully casual, "how you guys might have found some evidence of Taneda in the area."

Ah, Shino thought, a little resentfully. So that was why she had come over to talk. She wanted more information on the Taneda. It made sense, she probably felt some responsibility for that clan's involvement in this entire situation with Masaru. "Yes," he said shortly.

Tenten looked at him for a moment with a neutral expression, then turned back to her tray, picking at it dispiritedly. Shino considered getting up and leaving, as she had so abruptly left him last week – but that was childish and unworthy. Besides, there was no reason to keep the information from her, and…and if it was so important to her, he would not withhold it out of spite. "We believe Masaru might be developing a large army of shinobi," he said at last, struggling to keep his voice impassive. "He might even have a base of his own around here, perhaps the beginnings of a new Hidden Village, full of shinobi beholden to him."

Tenten's eyebrows shot up. "Great," she replied, putting her fork back down and sighing. "Well, if we can find it before it gets established, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with, right?"

Shino studied her as she rubbed a hand across her face tiredly, noting that even after several days of roughing it in the camp, she was still neat and presentable. And even with her shoulders slumped in fatigue, she still held herself with grace. She was lovely, and it hurt him a little to admit it. He had told himself once that it didn't matter if she loved him, that he was content with simply being her friend if that was what she wished. And for a time, that had perhaps been true.

It was not true now. Shino was unaccustomed to wanting things that he honestly did not believe he could have, and he found that he sincerely disliked the sensation. It was in his nature to view anything that seemed unobtainable as merely blocked by obstacles, and he was usually skilled in working his way around said obstacles. Now here was something – some_one_ - he wanted a great deal, wanted strongly enough that it was almost a physical ache. But if there was one thing her reaction outside the Hokage's office had taught him, it was that _she_ did not want him. He would not chase one who did not wish to be caught, and he would certainly never force someone like himself on any woman.

So friends they would remain, assuming he could get around this sudden bitterness before it drove her away.

"I haven't seen Hinata around," she said, cutting into his thoughts. "Is she out here?"

"The downside of her clan's recognition," Shino answered, "is the severe increase in their demands on her time."

"Don't tell me," Tenten grinned a little slyly. "They've got her penned up in that "Temporary Mission Command Center" in the Hokage's office learning to run this operation from afar?" Shino nodded, and Tenten laughed. "You know, I should have guessed that. No wonder so many Hyuuga are being used as the go-between messengers and stuff. That's where Neji is right now," she jerked her head over her shoulder in the general direction of Konoha. "He was sent to bring a status report to the command center. I guess that's probably where Uzumaki is, too. Haven't seen him around here."

In the silence that followed, Tenten poked at her food with her fork again. Shino suddenly recognized the act for what it was – a nervous fidget. She struggled to act and speak as nonchalantly as ever, but she was unsettled. The way she kept flicking her eyes to him, biting her lip, and then deliberately looking away was another sign – she was probably thinking about that twice-damned rumor, thinking about how unpleasant it was to be associated so intimately with him –

Shino cut that train of thought off immediately as he registered a handful of kikkai emerging from the skin of his chest. He curtly ordered them back into the hive, flinching only slightly when one of them chose to burrow straight through the scar tissue over his heart. It did him no good to dwell on the rejection, he told himself. And it certainly wasn't helping to dispel the tension between Tenten and himself.

He looked down at her, trying to think of something to say that would not seem…cold. But before he could think of anything, Tenten was on her feet, arms outstretched towards him and two heavy, spiked chains whirling in her hands. His bugs surged up instantly in warning, and Shino had just enough time to throw up a shield around both of them as the tent nearest them exploded.

Tenten's face tightened as she exchanged the chains for fistfuls of glittering shuriken. "The radio transmitter!" She yelled to Shino over the eruption of screams and battle cries. Shino dropped the kikkai shield, noting that the smoking hole in the dirt was indeed exactly where the hub of their communications network had been. The radio in his ear buzzed and died a moment later, confirming it. Behind him, Tenten yelled "Gai-sensei!" with a note of faint panic in her voice, and he felt her leap away from him and towards the bellowing mass of flying enemy shinobi several feet away.

But before he could turn to follow, a lanky, pasty-faced shinobi with close-cropped grey hair appeared before him, brandishing a kunai and lunging for his throat. Shino knocked the man back with a whip of kikkai, slicing the body neatly in half. He turned to a second opponent, and saw…a lanky, pasty-faced shinobi with close cropped grey hair, brandishing a kunai and lunging for his throat. Shino slashed this one in half as well, and then had to dodge as three lanky, pasty-faced shinobi appeared behind him – what was this? Siblings? No – too many, as he leaped high into the nearby trees and scanned the area, still dodging kunai, he saw almost twenty identical men attacking. Clones, then. Except they had not vanished in a puff of smoke when he killed them – he had specifically seen the spray of blood and the greasy, dangling entrails of a dead body. Clones did not bleed. As he watched, he saw a Leaf shinobi cut the arm from one of the clones, and as the arm sailed through the air, it _changed_. The bloody end of it seemed to bubble and expand, bursting out and taking the shape of a body, and then another fully formed shinobi, identical to the original, landed neatly.

A replicator, Shino realized. He had read about such things – this enemy had done something to his body that allowed him to regenerate entirely new bodies from severed parts of the old body – yes, even directly from his spilled blood, Shino realized as he saw two new pasty-faced men blossom from a puddle of blood underneath his branch. The two new replicas turned their identical faces to him and launched themselves up, knives outstretched.

Two whirling streaks of white shot past him and slammed into the replicas at the same time, sending body parts flying. Kiba and Akamaru landed beneath Shino, and Kiba yelled up, "C'mon, Bug Face, shake a leg! There's plenty for everyone!" He crouched, moving back into his Dual Piercing Fang stance.

"Don't!" Shino leaped down and grabbed his shoulder, throwing up a wave of kikkai to block an incoming replica. "If you cut them, they multiply."

"Clones?"

"No. Real bodies. We'll be outnumbered in minutes if we keep cutting them."

Kiba's face turned into a snarl of frustration. "So what the hell do we do then?"

"Kill them without bloodshed," Shino said, stretching out a hand and sending a swirl of bugs between a handful of replicas and two young chunnin.

"This is seriously messed up!" Kiba yelled, swiping at a replica and slapping it into a tree. Blood poured from the replica's broken nose, and a moment later another replica was already fully formed and charging back at them. Akamaru leaped at it and landed heavily on its chest, snapping the bones in its ribcage with a series of audible cracks. "They ain't too smart, though," Kiba snarled, knocking another replica's kunai away. "They just keep attacking the same way."

"Hive mind," Shino grunted. "The original body can't control this many perfectly, so he's just giving general orders to his drones. It's like ants. Kill the queen, kill the hive."

"Which one's the queen?" Kiba snarled and dug his thick fingernails into one of the copied faces, crushing the skull underneath with savage efficiency. "What does it smell like?"

Shino shot a churning swarm of kikkai at two more of the replicas, smashing them against the ground without breaking their skin. "Probably like these, but stronger."

"Akamaru!" Kiba bellowed, accidentally ripping the face from another replica he was trying to crush. A dozen more of the grayish, impassive-faced replicas bloomed from the spraying blood, and Kiba cursed passionately. "Akamaru, find the real one! Find the one that smells strongest!"

The nin-dog howled, partly in response and partly in frustrated rage as he tried to stop from tearing a replica's arm off and created three more copies anyway.

This was futile, Shino thought coldly, draining one replica with some of his kikkai as the rest of the swarm smashed and crushed their way through a dozen more. He couldn't drain them as fast as they could replicate, and Kiba and Akamaru were not skilled in bloodless combat. They were too good at tearing, slashing, and disembowelment. The handful of Leaf shinobi currently in the camp who specialized in bloodless combat (like the Hyuuga or the Yamanaka) were overwhelmed by the sheer mass of enemy shinobi.

A few feet away, Akamaru was still churning his way through a score of the grey replicas, slamming his large body into them in an attempt to kill them without slashing them with his teeth or claws. He didn't have time to scent for the queen, Shino thought dispassionately. Assuming he could pick out a "strong" smelling one from a horde of creatures that smelled just like it. Hm. And it was unlikely that anyone else in the camp had identified this creature as a hive-mind replicator, or if they had, knew how to find the source. Every few seconds, more of these body-clones were created, and another Leaf was injured or brought down. There was only one option left, really.

Almost as soon as he thought it, he heard a familiar voice shouting in the melee around him. "Hot Wash!" Morino Ibiki's scarred face flashed in Shino's peripheral vision for a moment as the ANBU steamrolled through the crush of fighting replicas and Leaf. "Hot Wash! Follow procedure! Hot Wash!" Then he was gone, but others took up the cry, yelling the warning to their fellow Leaf. So Shino had been correct. The only thing left to do was abandon the camp, and 'wash' away anything left behind that might be of use to the overtaking enemy. Every Leaf base set up in foreign territory had someone assigned to be the "Hot Wash," someone who could perform a powerful last-ditch maneuver designed to turn a defeat into a pseudo-victory. A good Hot Wash would destroy many of the enemy even as they overwhelmed the Leaf camp. As an added bonus, it would also destroy any Leaf bodies left behind, thus preventing rival shinobi from learning village secrets.

Of course, it would also destroy any living Leaf shinobi who didn't get out of the way in time.

"Hot Wash!" Kiba howled. "Shino, we gotta get outta here_, now_!"

"That will be difficult," Shino replied, and turned his head to the east. He saw Kiba's face tense as he sniffed the air and caught a whiff of what Shino's kikkai had already picked up.

"Oh fuckin' shitbricks," Kiba cursed. "Shino, there's a metric ass-ton of these things headed our way!"

Shino grunted, knocking several of the grey-faced replicas back with a quick swirl of his kikkai sphere-shield.

"We may not have time to get outta camp before the Hot Wash if that horde of douchebags hits us first!" Kiba snarled.

"We must fight our way to the trees," Shino yelled over the screams – several of the shinobi closer to the edges had already engaged the incoming horde. "Nara is to the south – he and Akimichi are crushing them in large amounts."

"Safety in bulk!" Kiba donned his favorite madman-in-a-battle grin. "Sounds great! Let's go!"

Shino shot out an arm to pull him aside, but too late; one of the replicas reached out and scored a long swipe with its jagged nails down Kiba's exposed back. The dog-nin howled in pain and rage, turning to swipe back with his own claws.

"Kiba! South!" Shino yelled at him, shielding him from another incoming replica as he tried to get his enraged teammate focused and moving. "The horde is nearly here!"

"You got a plan?" Kiba bellowed over the noise, eyes wide with pain and fury.

"Go south. Kill as many as you can. Don't die." Shino shouted back.

"Good plan!" Kiba roared, and then they were overwhelmed.

* * *

She was surrounded by bounding shapes, the scattered Leaf shinobi flitting through the trees around her as they fled from their former camp. "Who's got the Wash?" Tenten heard someone yell as he shot by.

"Hatake Kakashi," someone else yelled back, and Tenten could almost feel Gai's instant reaction.

"My eternal rival!" He boomed, face a mask of dramatic horror. "He is going to perform the difficult and dangerous Hot Wash instead of me! Well, I am sure his performance will be beautiful and amazing, though it pains me to admit that I have lost this round to him." Just as quickly as the horror came, it morphed into what Neji called his 'Madman On A Mission' look, his eyes afire and his teeth agleam. "But I will not lose again! Next time I will perform a jutsu to save my comrades that is twice as impressive!"

"What's he going to do?" Tenten asked, as they finally came to a halt on a high branch. Gai waved a hand back towards the abandoned camp.

"I believe he calls it 'Bolt from Heaven,'" Gai said, sounding thrilled. "A truly cool name, curse him!" He added happily. In the distance, Tenten saw a dark form with a shock of white hair leaping from the foliage and into the air. The sky seemed to darken around Kakashi, and snapping bands of hissing, crackling white lashed out from his arms. Even from this far away, Tenten could feel the strange tension in her body that told her the jounin was amassing an incredible charge around his body. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together, and Tenten felt the faintest tug of energy, as if the world were being sucked in towards the distant shinobi.

"Shield your eyes," Gai ordered. Tenten had just enough time to throw up a hand as the crackling light gathered around Kakashi's distant form in a tight, compacted ball of raw power, and then lanced down on the deserted camp below like the leveling hand of a wrathful god. Even through her arm and tightly shut eyelids, the light was so bright it made her flinch. A series of wild snapping sounds - like giant bones shattering under pressure - filled the air. Trees and rocks, Tenten realized; the lightening was flash-burning the trees and devastating the rocks in the camp ground, shattering the great tree trunks and boulder formations into so many matchsticks and pebbles. A moment later, the blast wave from the explosion swept through the forest and slammed into her. She was knocked to her knees, unable to see and hear anything but the roar of a suddenly mad world.

Oh gods, she thought wildly, reduced to kneeling in the forest with her arms over her head like a child. I hope no Leaf was still in the camp when he did that. I hope all our people got out. But communications had been in such a shambles, people fighting their little isolated battles all over the place with hardly any attention for what was going on elsewhere in the camp, and some of them could be such _idiots_ about running from battle…no, Lee got out, she told herself, recognizing the slightly hysterical edge her thoughts were gaining. He isn't stupid, he knows what a Hot Wash means, he knows there's no point in dying to protect something if there's nothing left to protect. And Gai was next to her and Neji was on a message run back to Konoha and Shino…

He got out, she repeated to herself fiercely as the roar of the world dimmed and faded and she could stand again. He's definitely not stupid. He probably realized what was going to happen before they even called it. No way he got caught in that.

"Ah, that jutsu is indeed truly beautiful! Come, Tenten," Gai's voice cut through the ringing in her ears. "We must render all aid to our friends." Tenten blinked the last spots from her eyes and followed Gai's gesture. Several more shapes were emerging from the trees around them, most of them either limping or carrying other shapes on their backs and shoulders. These must have been the last to escape, the injured or delayed Leaf shinobi who had only just cleared the Hot Wash. She saw a couple of ragged chunin from the Hokage's office staggering towards the new camp, supporting one another like old men. She saw a little red headed kunoichi dragging a battered boy that she vaguely recognized as the Third Hokage's grandson, the loud one who emulated Uzumaki Naruto. And behind them, carrying no less than four unconscious bodies slung over his shoulders and arms – Tenten felt some of the tension in her chest uncoil, and she launched herself forward to help Lee with his burden.

"I knew you would be alright," he told her, making a valiant effort to smile reassuringly at her despite his battered face and the blood all over his green jumpsuit. "You are far too clever and strong to be harmed by even such a number of enemies."

"Likewise," she attempted to return the smile, but it faded as she took in his appearance. "How much of that is yours?" she demanded pointing to the liberal splatters of blood on his clothes and skin.

"Not much," he responded, shifting his grip on one of the four he held. "This one is in a bad way." Tenten looked at the man, a skinny jounin with little round glasses and a face that she vaguely remembered from her Academy days. "Sensei!" The redheaded girl gasped from further up the path, looking up from her fallen teammate.

"Come, Lee!" Gai boomed from a few feet away, where he had already picked up four more of the more heavily injured shinobi. "We must move with great speed to the medic tent! We cannot allow our friends' to suffer the loss of their young and effervescent lives!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted back, swooping down and snagging the boy – Konohamaru, Tenten remembered now – from his redheaded teammate. "I will carry them all to the medic tents and see them cared for before another drop of blood falls!"

Tenten put a brief hand on the younger kuniochi's shoulder, who turned a white face to her. "My other teammate," she stuttered. "I don't know where he went in the battle."

"The camp's up there," Tenten said gently. "There should be a check-in station set up. Go tell whoever has the clipboard your name and what you know about the whereabouts of all your teammates. If your other teammate has shown up already, they'll tell you where he is."

The redhead nodded distractedly, watching Lee disappear in the trees ahead with half her team on his back. "We…we just got made chunin last week," she said suddenly, and then bit her lip. "I gotta go."

"Good luck," Tenten called after her. "Look for the ANBU marker in camp, that's where the check-in usually…" her voice trailed off as she caught sight of four more shapes emerging from the trees. The three human shapes slumped together were not immediately familiar, but the fourth, trailing slowly behind them with a limping gait, was very recognizable. "Akamaru!" She called, striding towards them. "Kiba! Shi - " She stopped again as the three upright figures became clear, and she saw not the whole of Team Eight, but Kiba only, slung between Shikamaru and Chouji. The Inuzuka looked terrible, his entire torso covered with makeshift field bandages and dark streaks of blood painted all down his sides and arms. Shikamaru had a bandage around one hand, and Chouji was thinner than Tenten had seen him look since childhood.

Tenten looked at the battered, unconscious Kiba, then at the whining, limping Akamaru. The last time she'd seen either of them had been a quick glimpse right before the Hot Wash had been ordered, and they'd been with -

"Shino," Tenten said, her voice tight. "Where is Shino?"

Shikamaru grunted, but it was Chouji who raised sad eyes to hers. "He said he'd stay," the big ninja told her gently. "To give us time to get away with Kiba."

Tenten felt her lungs constrict painfully, and she took a vital moment to force herself to breathe. Then, without a word, she was gone.

* * *

Shino made a snap assessment as he moved through the blighted trees. Three broken ribs. Multi-fractured left forearm, dislocated left shoulder, strained left ankle. Head contusion, possible mild concussion. Deep knife slash across the abs, still bleeding heavily. Low chakra reserves, a sizable portion of kikkai dead or damaged. Slightly disoriented from pain, blood loss, and exhaustion.

And the enemy? Many of the replicas had been destroyed in the Hot Wash, but now teams of regular shinobi were moving in. Three had picked up his bloody trail around the edges of the devastated camp – make that two, he thought grimly as his remaining kikkai devoured the weakest enemy nin's chakra. Two more left, both with minor injuries at best, still relatively fresh in the fight, and circling in around him. He lacked the chakra to fight them, and the myriad of intense pains throughout his body made it too difficult to focus his will and disperse his own chakra signature. He could not fight. He could not hide. He was rapidly losing the ability to run.

They got away, he told himself. He landed a little heavily on his left foot, and the pain that shot up his entire left side knocked him to his knees. He was pleased that his fellow Leaf shinobi got away. Kiba and Akamaru were in as good hands as he could have placed them. They were safe. He repeated it to himself again, using it as a shield against the encroaching darkness. He was dying, but they were safe.

She hadn't been there, in the end when the world went white. He'd swept for her, as wide an area as his kikkai could encompass in the few seconds before the Bolt from Heaven had struck. He'd sacrificed a large amount of kikkai to do that sweep too, more than was practical given his injuries and fact that he was now trapped behind enemy lines. And he should have been devoting his energy to getting further away from the camp and the Hot Wash, instead of hanging around just outside the main blast zone. But he had done it without hesitation because he had to _know_ that she was not trapped or unconscious somewhere in the wreckage, left to die in the Hot Wash by careless others. The kikkai hadn't sensed her. She must have gotten away. She must be safe.

She must.

"Oh," said a strange voice. "There you are."

Two shapes dropped from the trees on either side. Shino reached out a hand (bloody, paler than normal, shaking, only a few kikkai emerging when there should already be a swarm) and clutched a tree root, pulling himself up to his feet. Then he deliberately let go, balancing on his good leg. Shino took a shallow breath (too deep would stretch his cracked ribs, possibly cause him to black out), and nodded. "Come."

They came. Shino formed the swarm into as tight a shield as he could, concentrating around his face and chest. The female reached into her pouch, pulled out something glittering and poisonous. The male raised a fist suddenly as solid as granite.

Something heavy blurred past Shino's cheek, blew right past the hasty shield the female threw up, and slammed into her. Shino had just enough time to note the leaf pattern etched on the steel of the mace now buried in the female's head. The enemy kunoichi had a vague expression of shock on the remaining half of her face. Then the mace detonated, and the headless body dropped into a messy pile.

But she should have been safe, Shino thought, and his kikkai buzzed in confusion, irritation, and fear. She should have been _safe_.

She hit the ground in front of him, two deadly curved blades poised delicately in her hands. "Run," she said. "Run, and I will not hunt you. Fight, and I will kill you." The remaining enemy shinobi looked from the dead woman's body to the dark glitter in the living woman's eyes. Then he looked at the bloody, mud stained man behind her, arms alive with a chittering cloud of black.

He bowed his head briefly. "He's yours," he whispered, "but there will be more."

In a puff of smoke, the enemy ninja was gone. Shino's rescuer turned to look at him, her face pale but calm. The blades vanished from her hands, back into the scrolls or thin air – he wasn't sure, it was too hard to track her graceful movements with his eyes alone and the hive-link was…currently inadequate. The pain was so great that the kikkai were having trouble connecting properly with his senses.

It was possible that he was in a great deal more trouble than he thought.

"Shino," Tenten whispered in his ear, warm arms encircling his waist to support him. He felt her body press against his chest, felt her lips brush his cheek briefly as she whispered his name again and said, "If you die on me before I have the chance to kick your ass, I will never forgive you."

Yes, he thought blurrily. A great deal of trouble indeed.

* * *

He couldn't stop the grunt of pain when they landed a little too hard on the tree branch, and Tenten immediately stopped leaping and turned to look him over with a critical eye. "Where's the worst of it?" she asked.

He shook his head marginally. "No time for evaluation," he said in a strained voice. "We must go."

"We're not going anywhere until I'm sure that I'm not killing you every time we move," she retorted. "Give me the full status report."

His jaw was already set grimly against the waves of nausea and pain every slight motion caused him, but he felt his lips thin in irritation. There was no time for this. The enemy nin had been correct; there would be more unfriendly shinobi in this area, searching for them both. He would hold on a little more; the Leaf would establish a new safe zone in a relatively easy distance, as per procedure. They just had to make it through a few more miles of what was now hostile territory, and then he could pass out and let his body and the kikkai heal what damage they could. Tenten reached for the zipper of his overjacket, but he pushed her hand away. "No time," he ground out again.

He felt her body tense up against his side. "I am not your teammates," she growled. "I can't see your injuries, or smell them, or whatever. Either you show me," she reached for the coat again, and Shino could not move fast enough to push her away. But she merely clutched the collar, pulling it down to glower at his face. "Either you show me," she repeated, "or you _talk_ to me. Pick."

"There's a road up ahead," he told her, enunciating his words more elaborately than usual in an attempt to remain coherent. "There will be civilians on the road, non-players. The enemy will not break the rules of contract against non-play-" his throat tightened and something in his chest jerked painfully. He bent his head, hacking several dead kikkai onto the branch. Damn, the hive had taken severe damage if even the queen-guards were starting to die. "I'll be relatively safe for a time," he continued when his airway was clear again. "You can go on ahead, get help - "

"You know they wouldn't let me come back for you," she replied angrily. "Not when the enemy will probably be overrunning this entire area soon. And rules of contract? Seriously? You think these guys are concerned with rules of contract? For all we know, they aren't under contract at all, they're Masaru's brainwashed loyalist followers! Ugh, what is your problem!" She shook her head in sheer frustration. "You're one of the smartest people I know and lately you've been so stupid about…about…_everything_!"

She really was quite beautiful, Shino thought. And she hardly seemed to notice the splatter of dead bugs and bile at her feet. A remarkable woman. She didn't deserve to die out here, not when she had a good chance of making it to safety on her own and only a small one if she insisted on hauling his broken body around. "If you left me," Shino began again, discomfited by the ugly rasp in his voice but determined to win this argument. She could be so stubborn, but she understood cold hard statistics.

"Stop. Talking." Tenten bit out fiercely.

He should have stopped perhaps, but he was near giddy now with pain and blood loss. Words seemed somehow to help focus the pain, shepherd it. "You are being," he managed, "irrational." Tenten said nothing in response, but somehow Shino could not seem to keep silent. What a strange serendipity, he thought, that our roles are so reversed. "Why?" he continued. "Because you are allowing your emotions to affect your judgment. You are not assessing this scenario accurately."

And this was why silence was always the better option. At his words, Tenten threw off his arm, took a step to the side, and slapped a hand across his dislocated shoulder. Pain blinded and deafened him momentarily, long enough for the hive-link to kick in. Through their multi-eyes, he could see her tense muscles, hear her grinding jaw, and even smell the specific chemical makeup of her sweat, all of which indicated that the woman before him was just barely restraining a towering rage.

"On the contrary," she said, and even without the kikkai he could hear the utter fury in her voice. "We are in a war zone, we are being hunted by an unknown number of powerful enemies, we are potentially cut off from our allies, I am _exhausted, _and _you,_" she leaned forward, raised a hand towards his shoulder again, and Shino flinched slightly, anticipating another blow. "_You_, thanks to a sudden attack of utter _idiocy_, are seriously injured. Yes, Aburame Shino, I think I have a very complete grasp of the situation at hand. But I am not, repeat, NOT going to leave you here to die. So unless you've got some helpful advice on how to get back to safety, kindly _shut the hell up_ and let me get on with it."

With a sharp tug, she pulled his overjacket's zipper down and pushed the heavy material aside, her hands going immediately to the large bloodstain seeping down his left side. Then she was pulling away the underjacket, exposing the bloody mesh and skin beneath. Shino stared at her face, proud of the professional way she reacted to the ugly, gaping wound in his shoulder and chest. Several kikkai were spilling out along with the blood, leaving crazed little trails of red as they crawled across the unbroken skin. Tenten pulled out a first aid kit and started to swab down the edges of the biggest wound with an antiseptic. Shino hissed, but she didn't stop.

"My reactions were slow," he said after a moment, distracting himself from the pain. She flicked her eyes at him, but he saw that she was still too angry to respond. "In the camp. I didn't sense the enemy approaching until I saw you moving." he clarified. "Why not? I was distracted."

"Brace yourself," she murmured, gripping his dislocated arm and gently maneuvering it into position.

"What was distracting me so much that I missed a dangerous swarm of enemy shinobi?" She snapped his arm back into the socket with a deft twist, and his head swam for a long, painful moment. When his blurry vision cleared again, he saw her face only inches away, her dark eyes finally raised to meet his. She looked calmer, but worried, too. "You," he said quietly.

And he was unsurprised to see the fury splash back across her face. "_What?_" She all but shouted, though her hands mercifully stayed steady as she held him upright. "Oh, Shino, you…you…you complete _ass. _You selfish, stupid _moronic _man!" She seemed prepared to go on, but one word had caught his attention, and he felt himself frowning despite the pain from the cut on his face.

"Selfish," he repeated.

"Yes, selfish," she shot back. "I cannot believe you stayed behind like that! Didn't you hear the call? You know what a Hot Wash means! Why didn't you get your butt out of there like a sensible person? How could you get yourself hurt so bad? You're better than that!"

"I did what was…necessary," Shino grunted, and was now too tired and upset to care that the kikkai were seething and buzzing with his agitation. "I protected my teammates and –"

"At the cost of your life!" She cut him off, voice rising. "You almost _died_ a few minutes ago – those guys were going to kill you! You were practically throwing your life away, Shino!" She blinked, and he thought for a moment that he saw a tear streak down her face. But it mixed quickly with the streaks of dirt and blood on her cheeks, and it was probably only sweat anyway. "Did you even think for a second what that looks like to everyone else? Shit, Shino, didn't you care what we would think about you dying like that?"

"Are you telling me I should live my life according to what others think?" he rasped, attempting to push away from her grip in anger but only managing to overbalance himself. He hissed again as she lunged to catch him and her shoulder caught him in the chest.

"I'm telling you, idiot" she growled fiercely in his ear, "that you ought to care about the feelings of the people who _love_ you!"

Distantly, Shino felt the seething kikkai go still. "The people who love me," he repeated hoarsely.

"You're not the only one who gets hurt when you do something like this," she replied against the bloody fabric of his jacket in a voice almost as rough as his own. He felt her draw in breath to say more, but then the world went black.

The explosion broke the branch they had been standing on, and Tenten curled herself to protect the unconscious Shino with her own body, even when his awkward weight smashed her into the ground with a jarring thump. All the breath _whooshed_ out of her lungs, and she gasped for air even as she scrambled madly for her scrolls. There, to the left! Three dark shapes, coming fast! She struggled to gather enough chakra to summon something, but she was so damn tired and Shino's blood was soaking into her shirt now and, God, he was _dying_ –

Something came whistling out of the shadows and slammed into the three incoming enemy shinobi, exploding in a cloud of black smoke. Three bodies dropped to the ground nearby, and as the black cloud cleared, Tenten saw a tall, heavy-set shape walking towards her. The man was lowering his right arm, which Tenten could see was still smoking gently.

The stranger walked over to her and stood above her, looking down at where she lay entangled around Shino's battered body. "I know you," he said in a heavy, northern accent. "You are the woman they call Tenten, of the Village of the Hidden Leaf."

Tenten stared at him, knowing suddenly that she had seen that face, or one like it before. "I don't …know you," she replied at last, still struggling to regain her breath.

"I am certain that you do," the stranger said gravely, "though we have not met. I believe," he hesitated, and a dark look crossed his face. "I believe that you knew my son."

She gaped at him. Oh no, a little voice in her mind said softly. Oh no, oh no.

She had seen that face before - younger, thinner, smoother.

"Taneda," she murmured.

The man nodded. "I am Taneda Jun," he said. "Known to some as the Black Flash Cannon."

Tenten closed her eyes. I could throw an exploding kunai at him, she thought desperately. And while he's distracted, create two clones to look like me and Shino while we run. It wouldn't give us much of an edge, but it might at least prevent immediate death…

"I am not going to kill you," the man said, almost gently. "Please do not attempt to attack. It might kill your friend."

"What...do you….want?" she forced, trying subtly to readjust Shino's weight so that she could spring to her feet and run without jarring him too badly.

"We can escort you safely to your new encampment," the Black Flash Cannon told her. "The Leaf have not had time nor means to conceal it well enough from us, though they have diverted the larger force of the Replicator. You can get a medic to look at your man here, hopefully before he dies."

Tenten swallowed, and tried vainly to control her heavy breathing. At her side, Shino's chest was rising slower, and his breathing was rasping less, which scared her more than she would admit. She looked the bulky man in his eyes and saw only cold calculation. "And what do you …want of me in return?" she grit out between breaths.

"You will take me to the woman who rules your village, and make sure that I reach her unharmed."

Tenten almost spit at him. "I won't sell my Hokage…or my village …to _you._"

"He is fading fast," the Taneda leader began, nodding to Shino, but Tenten snarled at him contemptuously, cutting him off.

"And he'd sooner _die _…than see me betray… all that we both love."

"You misunderstand," Taneda told her. "I do not wish to kill your leader. I wish to _speak_ with her. I saw that attack on your camp. It seems that both your people and mine have been…" he paused, looking over at the dark corpses of the shinobi she had thought were his own. "Mistaken," he said at last. "For example, am I to understand that you are not, in fact, the allies and hired swords of the tyrant and murderer, Masaru?"

Tenten felt her muscles clench. "What? No! He's the enemy…he's the enemy who's been …killing people! _You're_ the ones who - " She froze, Taneda's expression cutting through her anger like ice. Through her dry, cracking lips, she barely managed to whisper, "You're not …working for him …either… are you?"

"You see now?" Taneda Jun murmured. "Your leader and I have _much_ to discuss." He reached down a rough, scarred hand to grab Shino's bloody arm. "If you help me gain passage to your Hokage, Tenten of the Leaf, I will help you save this man's life."

**

"Clear the way! Wounded coming through! You there, _move!_"

" –meone tell me where in all the hells did those bastards come from? I swear there were hundreds of the dirty - "

" – all had the same face! Every time you killed one, a dozen more sprang up just like - "  
"Oh God, Brother! Please, someone, my _brother _- "

" – got separated from my team. Has anyone seen - "

"Medic! Medic! Shit, where are all the fuckin' medics? We got bleeders over here - "

"Sai, where the hell are you, you damn ink-faced _jerkwad!_ _Sai_!"

" – ANBU station! All chunin-level shinobi to report to their area leader in the center of camp immediately! All designated teams to reassemble and report your status to the ANBU station! All chunin level shinobi –"

"I swear to all the gods ever known, Shino…if you die like this, I will never, _ever_ forgive you."

**


	18. Talk To Me

Notes: I think I screwed this one up. I was trying to get the plot moving and in consequence I sacrificed a couple scenes that were probably actually important to plot development but slowed it down significantly. But hells, there's only so much explanation and stuff you can write before you bore even yourself. So I skipped and/or condensed a lot. Hope it still all works okay. The first chunk of this chapter is some explanation, the second is…emotional.

Goals: Coherency and realism. (Might have achieved the one, probably not the other).

Cautions: Do not operate heavy machinery during or immediately after reading this chapter. May cause drowsiness.

Chapter 17

Talk To Me

"No rest for the weary."

Shino opened his eyes, and instantly wished he had not. The dark glasses still settled firmly on his face did little to cut out the glare of the light positioned directly above his body. The light lanced through his head like a hot knife, and he felt the kikkai buzz in weak protest. Medic tent, he thought with the part of his brain not currently throbbing with pain. They always hung special bright white lights over every patient in a medic tent. Perhaps they were competing with the light of the afterlife, Shino thought blurrily, and then realized that he was thinking nonsense and tried to force his mind back onto a more productive track.

Assessment, he told himself. You know where you are. What condition are you in?

After a moment's careful thought, he replied, I hurt. Greatly.

And someone is speaking to me.

He opened his eyes again, and this time managed to avoid looking directly into the overhead light. Someone was sitting beside him – two people, one sitting and the other standing. The standing figure moved closer, and he registered her scent. "Good evening, Aunt," he tried to say politely, but ended up coughing violently.

His aunt placed a hand on his chest, and he felt a quick trickle of chakra running through his body down to the hive-queen near his heart. "Good evening, Nephew," she replied serenely. "Please refrain from speaking for a few moments while I clear your lungs of dead kikkai."

Behind her, the sitting figure scratched his head in a vaguely uncomfortable way, and Shino focused his attention on the movement to avoid focusing on the unpleasant sensation of foreign kikkai in his chest.

"Yo," Shikamaru said, lowering his arm again. "You look like hell."

Shino considered this, and decided that it was probably true.

"So like I said," Shikamaru went on, "there's no rest for the weary. You probably feel about as bad as you look, and this is gonna be such a pain in the ass, but, well," the jounin frowned deeper than normal and sighed in a put upon way. "We're going to need you up and moving again quickly. By tomorrow, actually." He glanced up at Aburame Masuyo, "Your aunt says you should be functional by then."

Shino's aunt took her hands back from his chest and nodded slightly. Shino took her cue and slowly began to lever himself up to a sitting position, inch by agonizing inch. He certainly did not feel like he would be functional by tomorrow – or even by next month, at this rate – but his aunt was an accomplished medic who specialized in healing the Aburame clan, and if she said he would be able, then he had no reason to doubt her. And no time to complain, if the serious look on Shikamaru's face was any indication.

But first things first.

"Tenten," he said, testing his voice and pleased when he managed not to dissolve into another coughing fit.

"Fine," Shikamaru shrugged. "Should be checking in any minute, actually. She went back with Taneda Jun to meet the Hokage, but now she's coming back to camp to help run tomorrow's counterstrike."

Shino swung his legs slowly over the edge of the medical cot, and when he felt stable enough to move, he looked up at Shikamaru. "She took Taneda Jun to the Hokage?"

"Oh, right, you were out by the time he showed up." Shikamaru flapped a hand irritably. "Sorry, I skimmed the mission report. I hate reading those things. Anyway, Taneda Jun showed up and it turns out he's actually not on Masaru's side. Those shinobi that Tenten and Hinata fought out by Taiji village were Taneda who came to scope out the mudslide themselves. And those three thought that _our_ shinobi had made the mudslide. So they attacked. Which of course made us think that they did it. Eh, whatever, it's all a big mess now."

"Tenten took the Taneda leader to Konoha," Shino repeated as evenly as he could, gritting his teeth as Masuyo's kikkai filtered through his own swarm, repairing his damaged hive and culling out those of his insects that were too badly injured to be of any further use. He could only be grateful, he supposed, that he had been unconscious through the incubation and hatching of the replacement kikkai – it was an extremely uncomfortable thing to have a strange swarm inside one's body.

"Yeah, she made some deal with him that he'd help get you back to camp if she took him to see the Hokage. Took hours to get the security clearances and stuff, a real headache. Glad that isn't my job. They left a couple days ago, but word came back that the meeting went well. Taneda had some pretty solid information that will help us get rid of Masaru."

"His hiding place," Shino guessed.

"Yeah. If we can get a force into Masaru's camp, then we can get to him and end this thing. Problem is that stupid Replicator."

Shino took a relieved breath as he felt his aunt's kikkai flowing out his system, leaving him feeling weak and shaky but at least in full possession of his body again. "You have a plan," he said, reaching for his coat. His aunt stopped him with an imperious hand to his arm, picking up the large green overcoat fastidiously like an old rag. She had a point, he realized, noting the numerous slashes in the material, the crusty blood stains splashed liberally over it, and the badly frayed collar. He would have to make do with his black underjacket….which was in even worse condition than the overcoat. Hm.

"I have a plan to get rid of the Replicator, and once that's done, it's just a matter of letting the Taneda and some of our regular guys go in and wipe out Masaru's remaining forces. My plan needs someone with your abilities. We would use another one of your relatives instead," Shikamaru explained, leaning back and lacing his hands behind his head. "But all the jounin-level Aburame are on other missions or out of recall range. Or they're not specifically suited to the job," he nodded to Aunt Masuyo, who adjusted her white medic's tunic sternly. "You're not going in alone," Shikamaru added, looking up at the tent ceiling and sighing. "Ino's going with you, and Naruto." The shadow-user flicked his eyes from the ceiling to Shino to the ceiling again. "And Tenten."

"Hm." Shino nodded gratefully to his aunt as she handed him an unfamiliar but clean black jacket. He still felt exposed without his overcoat, but at least this jacket had a hood.

"Shino," Shikamaru drawled, still staring idly at the ceiling and looking supremely bored. "Are you going to be able to work with her?"

Shino said nothing, but the temperature seemed to drop a degree.

After a moment, Masuyo turned and walked briskly away, and Shikamaru shrugged. "Okay, yeah, got it. Just had to check. This mission might take a couple days, and there's a lot riding on it. The brief is in three hours; I'll fill all four of you in on the details then. You'll leave an hour before dawn."

Slowly, painfully, Shino forced himself to his feet. The kikkai shivered and scrambled excitedly all throughout his body, concentrating on the areas that hurt the worst as they worked to rebuild torn muscle and reinforce cracked bones. It hurt, and it cost a great deal of energy to make them repair his body faster than it could repair on its own.

"Tomorrow?" He shoved his hands into his pockets and focused on standing upright.

"Yeah," Shikamaru stood up as well and nodded towards the tent opening, through which Shino could hear several voices calling out in greeting. "Sounds like they're back."

Shino nodded and took a few experimental steps towards the exit. Then he stopped as a distinct voice registered through the general noise of the camp outside. "He is in there."

Another voice, louder and even more distinct, boomed back a response. "Ah! Then we must go and congratulate him on his survival!"

"Uh," the Nara looked over his shoulder at Shino. "Maybe you ought to sit back down. I think Maito Gai and Rock - "

"Aburame Shino!" The tent flaps burst aside, revealing two – no, Shino noted with interest – _three _imposing shapes standing framed in the light of the day outside. "We have come," the tallest and greenest of them announced. "To speak with you on a matter of great importance!"

"Not here," the young man behind him said calmly. "We're bothering the other patients."

"Of course, let us not disturb our fellow Konoha shinobi in their rest," Rock Lee responded instantly, turning sharply and bowing to the tent at large. "Please forgive the interruption, and we hope you all recover your high spirits soon!"

Neji met Shino's gaze over Lee's back, his face carefully blank. "Have a moment?" the Hyuuga asked calmly.

Shino looked from one face to another as all three of Tenten's teammates stared back at him. Ah, he thought quietly.

Moving carefully, he followed the Hyuuga out of the tent.

* * *

If she thought about it, Tenten could fully justify murdering her mission partners. All three of them. What with the days of hunting in the woods for enemy nin and coming up empty, then being suddenly flooded with multiple shinobi (or at least, _a_ shinobi), watching her camp destroyed, nearly watching Shino die in her lap, and then finding out that her home's enemy was actually her enemy's enemy (which did not, in fact, make him her friend, just not her priority enemy, and damn was she getting a headache)…well, anyway, it had been a stressful week.

And now, they would not. Stop. Staring. At. Her.

Ino was the most obvious, watching Tenten from the corners of her eyes and smiling coyly whenever Tenten met her gaze. She also kept winking and flicking her eyes to Shino's back as the group ran smoothly through the trees towards their destination. And when they made camp, Tenten found that she couldn't get anywhere even close to Shino without the Yamanaka whipping her head around to smile triumphantly. Naruto had picked up on Ino's act but couldn't figure out what was going on, so he was also watching Tenten, a vaguely puzzled grin on his face as he tried to work out the joke.

Shino, of course, never so much as glanced at her. But when she separated from the group to scout ahead, a small black kikkai perched itself on her shoulder and refused to be brushed off. Tenten had finally just ignored it, and when she returned to the camp, it had calmly detached from her shoulder and disappeared back into Shino's collar. He hadn't said a word, hadn't even looked at her, but Tenten, all too aware of Ino's knowing smirk, had let it go.

But when Ino, who was on chow duty tonight, had deliberately set Tenten's food right next to Shino and then grinned like the Cheshire cat when Tenten sat down to eat, Tenten felt the last threads of her patience start to twang dangerously.

"_What?_" she snapped at Ino, which of course only made that smug little grin smugger.

"Nothing," Ino chirped brightly. "I was just noticing how _lovely_ you look today, Tenten." She looked around Tenten's shoulder to the man on her other side. "Don't you think Tenten is looking particularly great today, Shino?"

Shino made no response, which of course had zero impact on Ino's sly cheerfulness. "You know, you ought to work on those sweet-talking skills," she told Shino matter-of-factly. "Girls like to know that they're attractive from time to time, even tough professional chicks like Tenten." Ino flicked her blonde hair back and tapped her chin in exaggerated thoughtfulness. "You know what? I think you should take this opportunity to practice! Come on, Naruto," she reached out and grabbed the other shinobi's orange sleeve. "I think we ought to go do a perimeter sweep."

"Mwah?" Naruto choked through a mouth full of rations. "Wha whe gooah fhweeb nhaow?"

"Because it's getting dark, and we need to make certain the area is secure, idiot," Ino hissed, bounding to her feet and dragged him up to his. "We'll do a standard directional sweep," Ino told Tenten sweetly, ignoring the dark look the other kunoichi was shooting her. "That takes about an hour, so don't get too caught up and forget the time." She winked. "I'd hate to come back and _interrupt_."

"Interrupt what?" Naruto managed to finally swallow the bulk of the dry, chewy rations and look around at Ino in bewilderment. "What're they gonna do?"

"Ino…" Tenten muttered dangerously, but the blonde woman merely giggled (_giggled_, the evil wench! Tenten thought darkly. Who _giggles _at people like that?) and shook her head, dragging Naruto off into the trees.

"One hour!" Ino sang cheerfully as they leaped out into the branches. And then her voice drifted back from the shadows of the forest "So make it snappy!"

Tenten debated flinging a couple of shuriken after them, then decided against it. It was a childish impulse and would only give validity to their assumptions. Plus, they were already out of range. She settled for rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck, trying to dispel the tension in them.

Beside her, Shino picked up a flat stone and began rhythmically to sharpen a kunai. She glanced at him, but his head was bent studiously over the weapon. Tenten paced across the clearing, glancing idly at her backpack where it had fallen on its side and spilled a couple of scrolls on the ground. "Ino's kind of weird," she told the scrolls. "She doesn't mean anything, though. It's all just a joke to her."

No response, just the steady scrape of steel on stone.

"She's good, though," Tenten said, fiddling with a scroll latch. "A good shinobi, I mean. I think we've got a good plan for this Replicator guy. She'll do her part."

_Scrape, scrape, scrape._

"Oh for the love of - " Tenten grit her teeth, then snapped her head up and glared at him. "Shino! This is stupid. Okay? _Stupid_! Forget the mission, this is compromising our _friendship_."

The gentle scraping noise stopped, and Shino lowered his hands to his lap. He turned his hooded head slightly in her direction. Behind her, the faint buzzing of insects in the oncoming evening went suddenly silent. Other than that, however, she got no response from him. And how, she thought angrily, was she supposed to interpret that? Was it supposed to warn her that he was still angry with her for, well, whatever was actually eating him? Was it supposed to encourage her? Or did it just mean that he didn't care at all but was just politely waiting for her to get this over with?

"Look, I know you didn't like that rumor about us," Tenten paced back to the edge of camp, trying to be casual and knowing she was failing. "And I'm sorry if you think I've behaved in a way that's…um…" she struggled for the right word, finally settling on, "Improper." It wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but it would have to do. "But I'm not sorry for being your friend, and I'm not sorry for the way I am, and if you do think I'm a little overfriendly or whatever towards you, then, well, we've maybe just found the root of the problem. And if that's it, that's what's bothering you, then dammit, you could just _say _something." She took a deep breath. Shino was giving her the look that she was starting to think of as The Exam, the one where - even with his head turned away - she could feel him scrutinizing her down to her spine. "So," she finished lamely in the thick silence following her outburst. "Say something."

"You thought I was angry at you," he said at last, in an almost completely toneless voice. "About the rumors."

Tenten's frown deepened. "You were obviously upset."

"You thought I believed your behavior to be overly familiar."

"Well, yeah. Why else would people say anything?"

"And you thought," he paused, then spoke in a slightly slower voice, as if he were testing the words, "that I was offended by the concept of a relationship between us. And my apparent offense upset you."

Tenten folded her arms, anger, hurt, and confusion all jumbling together to make her feel off-center and irritable. "Are you going somewhere with this?" She demanded petulantly. "Or are you just stating the obvious for your own amusement?"

Shino set his kunai down carefully and stood up, pushing his hands deep into his pockets and hunching his shoulders slightly, making his hood fall further across his face. "Hm," he said after a moment. And then, "I see."

That did it. She was tired, stressed, and had practically just poured her heart out in front of him, and _he _was playing I've Got A Secret. "You know something, Shino?" Tenten snapped. "That is the most unhelpful response you could possibly have given me."

"I don't know what you mean."

"We have a problem here, Shino! And just ignoring it has not worked for us so far, so unless we're not interested in being friends anymore, we're going to have to actually act on it. See this, Shino, see what I'm doing here?" Tenten jabbed a thumb at herself in emphasis. "This is called 'talking,' and it's a proven method of problem-solving. I give you information, you give me a response, that's how it works. I'm telling you what I think is wrong between us, in the hopes that when you understand my side of the issue, you can help resolve it." Tenten closed her eyes, thumping her back against a tree in defeat. "But it only works if you participate."

"There is one piece of information," Shino replied thoughtfully from an arm's span in front of her, and Tenten jerked her head up in surprise at his sudden proximity. "That you have not shared with me," he continued, and Tenten wondered for a wild moment if he was actually leaning down towards her face or if she was just imagining it. "Information that could color my entire perception, and therefore the resolution of this…problem between us."

Tenten's mouth sudden felt a little dry, but she resisted the temptation to swallow. "What information?"

Shino reached out a hand and braced it against the tree by her side. "Tell me this, then." He was definitely leaning now, and it had never occurred to Tenten before this moment that it was even possible to be both too close and too far from the same person at one time. "Tenten" he said quietly, almost in her ear, and the arm that had her trapped against the tree brushed her ribcage slightly. "Do you love me?"

For a moment, some still-functioning part of her brain wondered which surprised her more – that Aburame Shino had just asked her a direct question, or that Aburame Shino had just holyshitaskedherifshe_loved_him!

Okay, so it was probably that second option. Whatever.

He wanted to know if she loved him? Wait, was this a trick question? Shino rarely asked direct questions unless...but in this situation...and such a question to ask! Why would he -

Unless...

Oh. _Oh._

Well.

That explained a whole hell of a lot.

She opened her mouth, closed it again, and then she began to laugh. It started in her belly and bubbled up into her chest, and before she even really knew it, came bursting out of her mouth. Her whole body was shaking, even the arm that she wrapped around her waist as if she were trying desperately to hold herself together as her body tried to rattle apart. Her other arm reached out, and she grabbed his collar and held on tightly to keep him from pulling away.

"I..." she gasped, struggling for air. Still laughing, she lifted her head to look him straight in the face. "Of course I do."

His face, even without the high collar hiding it, gave away nothing. And then his lips twitched into what may have been a smirk (but it better not have been, the smug jerk) and he nodded marginally. "Yes."

Then he straightened up, walked across the clearing, and calmly resumed sharpening his kunai.

Behind him, Tenten took approximately three seconds to process this turn of events. And then -

"_What?" _He glanced over at her, one eyebrow raised in mild query. "What the hell," Tenten glowered at him, or tried to, because somehow she was still giggling like a moron, "kind of response is '_yes_'?"

"Yes," Shino repeated in an instructional tone. "An affirmative or assenting reply, to be in agreement, to acknowledge what is mutually known to be fact." He slid the newly sharpened kunai back into his side poach and picked up one of her smaller scrolls, adjusting the fastener meticulously. "For example: you have said that you love me. I know this to be a true statement. Therefore I have responded with the confirmatory, 'yes.'"

Tenten made a rude noise. "Okay, smartass. When - and more importantly, _how_ - did it become mutually known to be fact?"

Shino tied the scroll to her backpack and reached for the next, shrugging one shoulder. "Perhaps it was when you came back into enemy lines to find me, despite the fact that I was probably already dead."

"You weren't dead," Tenten shot back darkly. "Stupid, maybe, but not dead."

He chuckled softly. "Perhaps it was when it occurred to me that your poor reaction to the rumor of our relationship might be a self-conscious attempt to hide your feelings from me."

"That's not entirely…well, okay, maybe that's exactly what it was," she retorted uncomfortably, disliking this backslide in the conversation. "But you were giving me some pretty confusing signals, too, you know."

This time he did not laugh, but she saw his shoulders hunch over slightly. "It seems we both misjudged each other that day," his hands stilled for a moment on the ties of her bag, and then in a more confident tone he said, "Perhaps I knew that you cared for me when your entire team ambushed me and demanded to know the exact nature of my relationship with you."

Tenten stared at his back. "They…did that? Really?"

"Oh yes." Shino picked up the last of her scrolls and clipped it carefully into place on her bag.

"Well…okay, so what?" She demanded, crossing the clearing and stomping her foot on top of her backpack to ensure his attention. "I mean, it's _Rock Lee_ and _Maito Gai_. What makes you so sure they don't get all weepy and defensive and 'what are your intentions for my precious and youthful teammate!' on just about any guy who crosses my path?"

He rose to his full height and turned to face her, and there was something so intense in the way he stood, looking not just at but _through_ her that made her cross her arms over her chest instinctively, as if to ward him off. And damn, she kept forgetting just how _tall_ he was. No one loomed like Aburame Shino loomed.

"How did I know it was more than their own personal exuberance? Simple. You told me."

"Huh?"

"A long time ago," he reminded her. "When we were fighting in the training fields. You told me that your teammates respected your judgment about men, and never interfered in your personal relationships outside the team."

Tenten frowned, hunting through her memories. Come to think of it, she did sort of recall joking that he'd never have to worry about her teammates trying to beat him up for staining her purity or something. Which at the time had been merely an attempt to determine whether or not the man had a sense of humor, but in retrospect seemed vaguely, er, embarrassing.

"Right," she said weakly, feeling herself starting to blush. She looked down hastily, trying to hide her slight blush without turning her back to him and making it obvious.

"If cornering your former boyfriends was out of character for your teammates," Shino went on. "Then it was safe to assume that they felt your relationship with me was different in some significant way. Some way that warranted their personal and immediate attention."

"Even Neji?" she asked, glancing up at him through her eyelashes.

He nodded. "They were polite, and made no directly threatening movements or statements. Nonetheless, I was surrounded, outnumbered, and still fairly weak from my injuries."

"Poor you," she muttered, unrepentant. "Bet you had about three exit strategies before they got the first word out."

"I had the potential to escape when I first noticed their approach, but not once they had me surrounded. Besides, would leaving have been in my best interest? I did not believe so."

"So you let them ambush you? For what, the sake of your curiosity?"

"All three of them are the people with whom you have lived in close quarters for several years. It was reasonable to believe that by now they knew you enough to gauge your feelings. And since they concluded that those feelings were strong enough to warrant an interrogation, I can only assume that whatever you felt for me was greater than any previous attachment you may have had."

Tenten finally got her face under control enough to dare raising her head. "Huh. Yeah, okay, I can see how that would clue you in. If even Neji's putting on the 'precious teammate' speech, something's probably up." She uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips, watching him thoughtfully. "So if you had it all figured out, oh mighty genius, why did you bother asking?"

Shino eyed her for moment, then turned away again, pulling his hands from his pockets and letting them hang at his sides. Tenten considered his back for a moment, and decided that his behavior wasn't all that surprising. He had put his back to her, something he typically only did when he was embarrassed or considering how to say something difficult. And he'd pulled his hands free, a habit when he was tense, or expecting an attack. So whatever he was about to say, he still wasn't entirely sure that it would go over well.

She had a pretty good idea of what he was trying to work out how to tell her, but she waited anyway.

"I enjoy clarity," he said finally, shoulders a little stiffer than normal under his coat. He hesitated, then took a careful breath and continued, "And I wanted to make sure before I said anythi-"

He stopped speaking abruptly as Tenten stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, laying her head on his back. "You love me," she told him.

"Yes," he agreed quietly.

With her ear against his back, she could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, muffled by the layers of clothes. She could also hear, just under his heartbeat, a strange but not unpleasant sort of rhythm. It sounded a little bit like a second heartbeat, fainter and much, much faster. The hive, she thought with interest. That must be the hive. It was so in tune with his heart that it was almost impossible to hear. She leaned a little closer, pressing her body against his back, and heard his heartbeat speed up slightly. The change in tempo highlighted the hive-heartbeat, making it much easier to distinguish if she listened carefully.

"Kiba and Akamaru are still with the medics," he said at last, and Tenten noted with delight that the hive-heartbeat seemed to hum a little in tune to his voice. "And Hinata has barely left the command center. I therefore doubt that _my_ team ambushed you anytime recently. So what is your basis for analysis?"

She let him go and stepped back, grinning as he turned to face her. "Simple," she quoted back at him. "You told me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"First, you told me about my teammates ambushing you," she held up a hand and ticked off a finger. "Which you would not have done if you were unhappy about it. Second, you asked a direct question," she raised a second finger. "Which I've only ever seen you do when you think the answer is really important. And third," she raised a third finger, then opened her hand and set her palm against his chest. "When I told you that I did love you, you seemed _extraordinarily pleased_ with yourself about it." Playfully, she pushed against his chest. "And since I don't think you're really the kind of guy who would enjoy that for the sake of the confirmed conquest or whatever, I figure you must want me to love you for some other reason. Then only reason that makes sense is that you love me too."

She flashed a grin at him. "So there."

Slowly, he reached up and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "A sound evaluation," he said.

"You realize, of course," she stepped forward again, bringing her other hand up to tug his collar out of the way once more, "that when this is over and we're back in Konoha, I still plan to kick your butt on the field. I'm becoming an expert on catching you off guard."

"Yes," he replied, and bent his head to meet her halfway. "You are."

**

"For the record, Kiba 'ambushed' me _ages_ ago."

"I…see."

**


	19. Battle Tactics

Notes: This is actually shorter than I planned it to be, which is unusual for me when I write battle scenes. However, I rewrote this one so many times that it's probably completely incoherent and crazed by now. I actually debated rewriting it, yet again, and just waiting to post it next weekend. But I already missed a weekend, and frankly I'm a little sick of it. So. Here. I hope it doesn't hurt your head as much as it hurt mine.

Goals: Solid, sensible battle tactics, interwoven with at least a hint of how Shino and Tenten's relationship is going to develop from here (because let's face it, trouble doesn't end when the L-word gets said. If anything, that's when it tends to really begin...)

Cautions: The crazed babblings of an insane mind. No beta-check or even all that much spellcheck by the fifth draft. And a sucker punch at the end.

**Chapter 18**

**Battle Tactics**

Naruto waved a hand at Tenten's face and jabbed his other thumb at the seemingly smooth cliff face. "Is this it?" he asked in a loud whisper.

Tenten studied the rock face with a scowl, and in a less carrying whisper replied, "Looks like the place the Taneda described. This must be the entrance to Masaru's hideout."

"Well, let's go back and tell everyone," Naruto said, smacking a fist into an open palm for emphasis.

"Good idea," Tenten hissed.

"No," said a new voice, "I don't think that would be a good idea at all."

Something whistled between them, and Tenten leaped to the left as Naruto dove right, both covering their heads to shield themselves from the flying debris of the exploding tag. "You Leaf shinobi are pretty pathetic," the kunoichi said, and Tenten heard the whistle of the whip through the air before she saw it. She ducked, twisted, and threw an exploding kunai in the direction of her attacker. The enemy's bright red whip lashed out again with a sharp crack and batted the blade into a tree. The kunai detonated on impact, and the whip-wielder was forced to jump back to avoid the blast. Three orange shapes burst out of the smoke at her, and Tenten winced as the whip slashed brutally through all three in one vicious arc. The Naruto-clones vanished in a puff of smoke, and the enemy kunoichi snarled as four more appeared to replace them. "I can do this all day, hag!" one of the Naruto's grinned nastily at her before the whip sliced his face into a puff of smoke.

The kunoichi summoned a second whip, this one bright green with what looked like...feathers on the handle. Tenten blinked, and suddenly remembered Lee's embarrassed face. (_"It seems this individual has a fondess for, ah, mid-range weaponry...with accessories."_)

Taiji Village, Tenten thought with a scowl. She unrolled a scroll and launched an exploding fuuma shuriken at the enemy, who double-whipped it away and rolled to avoid another handful of Narutos. The fumma shuriken blew up with a dramatic black cloud of smoke, and a moment later the real Naruto shot out of the smoke past Tenten, yelling "Go, go, go!"

Through the smoke behind him, Tenten made out what looked like an army of identical shapes coming fast through the trees directly at them. She turned sharply and bounded after Naruto, not bothering to slow long enough to cover her tracks. The shapes solidified into thin, grey-faced men – or rather, a grey-faced man – hounding after them with identical grim faces. The Replicator was hot on their trail.

He must have an external power source of some kind, Tenten thought as she flew through the forest after Naruto's brightly-colored jacket. Or he did something truly heinous to his body to be able to replicate like that. He can't even really be human anymore, not with that many physical manifestations.

Then she passed the first checkpoint and had to devote all her attention to scooping up the waiting kikkai as she went. "One hundred meters and closing," she told the kikkai, shoving it onto her sleeve so it could hold on without her help. Something whistled past her shoulder and Tenten chucked a francisco axe behind her in retaliation, frowning as she heard the blade sink into flesh and hoping she hadn't created too many new clones. "Eighty meters," she corrected absently.

Ahead of her, Naruto suddenly dropped out of sight below the earth, which was Tenten's cue to fling out a bola whip and catch a sturdy tree limb. Without hesitation, she launched herself into the air even before the weighted end of the bola had fully hooked onto the branch, so when it did catch and the wire tightened, she was jerked very roughly into a swinging arc. She adjusted her grip hastily, glancing down into the box canyon that opened up suddenly among the trees. Behind her, the pursuing Replicator plowed the first dozen or so of it's copies into the deep trench, but the main body of the human swarm stopped or swerved to the side in time. Or so it seemed, but from above Tenten saw a brief flash of blonde, and the replicas suddenly seemed to shudder. Then as one, they turned and threw themselves into the canyon like lemmings.

Crowd control, Tenten thought with a twist of her lip. Granted, if each of those replicas had been a fully functioning individual human being, it was unlikely that Ino would have been able to control them to do even a simple task like _walk forward_, but since they were only extensions ("half-wits" Ino had called them) it was possible for her to command them at least for the few crucial seconds needed to convince them that they must _follow the leader._ Creepy, Tenten thought, landing by her bola weight and stowing the weapon back into her scrolls. She watched the grey-faced replicas troop, dreamlike, into the chasm.

Unfortunately, Ino could not command that many for long, and once they were falling the Replicator regained enough control to make the copies catch themselves against the canyon sides or along the floor. Only a few of them fumbled and wound up smashed against the rocks. Even before the last of the clones were fully over the edge of the drop-off, some of the first to fall were already bounding back up the sides of the cliff.

A solid wall of orange surged out of the trees on either side of the box canyon, effectively covering the opening and blocking the replicas into the rocky trap. "Alright!" Naruto crowed, smashing a replica back into the canyon with a triumphant kick. "Let's get this party _started_, baby!" The Naruto army crashed down into the canyon like an orange wave, and the trees rang with the sounds of battle.

Tenten saw one of the replicas somehow break clear of the trap and spring for the edge of the canyon, but the instant his foot touched the earth, Ino appeared in the trees above him and made a hand signal. The replica's already glassy eyes went completely blank, and he turned on his heel and leaped back into the canyon. Tenten saw his face clear marginally as he fell, but it was too late, a Naruto-clone was already tackling him to the dirt and crushing his skull against the rocks. Ino winked across the canyon at Tenten, then turned her full attention back to the canyon, watching for other attempted escapees. Another replica seemed to be making a break for the southern edge of the canyon, and Ino formed a seal and made him tumble backwards directly into a crowd of Naruto clones.

Tenten glanced over her shoulder into the shadows of the tree overhanging the roiling mass of orange and grey. "There was a kunoichi at the hide-out. She's the one who spotted us first," she said. "I think it's one of Masaru's shinobi that actually destroyed Taiji village."

"She will likely have followed the Replicator," Shino replied, moving to stand beside her. "And she will probably have at least two others with her. I say this because you told me Hinata found _three_ packs outside Taiji village."

"Don't worry," Tenten flashed him a grin. "I'll watch your back."

Shino didn't smile back, and Tenten's grin faltered. Okay, so we stay professional, she thought, rearranging her features into a calm mask. Well, good, okay, no problem. He's probably right. We need to focus. This is not the time for...smiling. And stuff.

She turned back to the battle below, watching two Naruto-clones smash into a replica from two directions at once, breaking it's spine and crushing it's ribcage. The shattered replica plunged down into the box canyon, lost among the churning chaos of orange clones, grey replicas, puffs of smoke and the occasional sloppy spray of blood. "Ready for phase two," Tenten said briskly, careful to sound as detached and battle-ready as possible.

"Understood," Shino said just as tonelessly. He stepped forward, raising his arms. Tenten turned and summoned a needle-launcher, strapping it to her forearm and preparing to summon a handful of shuriken.

Something warm brushed across the back of her neck and rested briefly on her shoulder, the lightest of butterfly touches. Tenten's smile came back in full force, but she kept her eyes on the treeline as Shino stepped around her and pulled his trailing fingers back from her shoulder. A moment later, she heard the familiar buzz of the emerging kikkai swarm. The glittering black cloud swirled above the raging battle in the canyon, then dispersed downward like a deadly rain of insects, each kikkai aiming for a grey-faced replica.

Shino's breathing altered, becoming shallow and rhythmic, as if he were dozing while still standing upright. Tenten filled her hands with sharp, pointy death and watched the shadows. She focused her attention, fighting to block out what she could of the screams and shouts in the canyon.

Something bright red flickered in the corner of her eye, and Tenten flicked a hand, sending a rift of shuriken in that direction. The spinning blades chewed through the foliage and drove the skulking kunoichi out into the open. She came out swinging, red leather whip cracking and what looked like a heavy metal-laced whip flying close behind. Tenten drew a ring staff and caught the whip on it, winding the red leather tightly around the reinforced wood and temporarily neutralizing it. But most of her attention was on the metal-studded black whip as it screamed through the air at Shino's exposed back. She jerked forward, slicing a dao sword sharply behind his head and feeling the clang of metal on metal as the blade sliced through the braid of the whip. The metal tips went flying into the trees, but the kunoichi used her red whip to pull Tenten off balance and snapped the metal studded whip again, this time swiping at Shino's legs. Tenten twisted the ring staff, freeing it from the red whip and flinging it; the rings on the end of the staff caught the black whip and entangled it completely, then plunged to the dirt below, yanking the whip from the enemy's hand as it went.

The enemy kunoichi swore, and Tenten mentally echoed the cuss. Whip-chick was going to target Shino exclusively. As infuriating as that was, at least it simplified the fight. Tenten reached for her big scroll – let's see this bitch block a Heavenly Chain of Destruction with her stupid toys, she thought darkly. Before she could summon the rain of exploding weapons, however, something dark and liquid shot out of the ground below her feet. Tenten had to abandon her attack and dodge away from the wave of thick mud that twisted in midair like a grotesque slime monster, groping blindly for her among the branches.

At least two more, was her first thought, followed closely by: so this is the one who caused the mud slide. A brief image of half-buried houses and the quiet sadness on Hinata's face as she scanned for survivors flashed across Tenten's memory. She twitched her wrist, and the needle launcher on her arm fired a salvo of poisonous needles into the mud-monster's sludgy surface. The needles stuck in the slime, and then the mud simply slid over them, absorbing them into it's body.

"You're going to die, Leaf," the enemy kunoichi appeared behind her, holding a wicked copper-colored cat-o-nine-tails. The nine braided ends of the whip were each tipped with a jagged metal point and dripping with oily poison. Subtle, Tenten snorted mentally. But she moved back out of range and aimed a few tagged kunai at the kunoichi to keep her busy. Now where was the mud-monster shinobi?

"Midori, concentrate" a horrible, bubbly voice squelched from the slime monster below her, and Tenten suppressed a shudder as the ooze turned a hideous, melting face toward her. "This will not be an easy kill."

Acting on a hunch, Tenten infused a kunai with chakra and threw it straight into the mud-monster's gaping 'mouth.' The blade shot through the slime, and Tenten had just enough time to get a brief impression of a human body before she cut the chakra line between herself and the kunai. The other shinobi was inside the mud monster, she confirmed.

Okay then.

Tenten set herself between Shino's back and the two enemy shinobi and summoned a barbed-wire net. "That's not going to hold him," the eneny kunoichi – Midori – called derisively, swinging the cat-o-nine-tails at Tenten's midsection. "He'll just ooze on through. _Hai_!" She snapped her wrist and the whip cracked like lightening and glowed a faint white as the tips picked up incredible speed.

Tenten threw the net at the kunoichi, catching the whip in the thick wires and smashing the whip-wielder back against a tree, thoroughly entangled in the net and her own brutal weapon. She screamed as one of the poison tips scored her own hand, but Tenten had already turned away and flung a small, ordinary-looking shuriken at the surging mud-monster. The shuriken arced smoothly through the air and crashed into the slime, which absorbed it as easily as it had the needles.

Tenten counted to three, then covered her face to block the flying mud as the disguised bomb detonated. She leaped to a slightly lower branch to check her hit – direct score, she saw with satisfaction and just a slight hint of queasiness. The bomb had gone deep inside the mud-armor, almost all the way to the shinobi inside. The explosion had not only dispersed the chakra-charged mud, but had blown a sizable chunk out of the enemy's torso. She watched for a few precious moments just to be sure, but no new enemy shinobi sprang into freakish existence from the pooling blood and guts. So at least that awful replicating technique wasn't common among the enemy. That could have been a problem.

Tenten took back up her position behind Shino's back, fingering a handful of steel spheres designed to crush bones without breaking skin (just in case). Her other hand held a bo staff at the ready as she scanned the trees for the whip-wielder.

Someone moved behind her. Tenten had just enough time to think, Shino? And then, _shit - _

_

* * *

  
_

Shino looked down at the world through the fractured perception of a million sets of eyes. To the kikkai, the world was a complicated, multi-layered structure of shapes, colors, smells, and energy trails. When Shino gave his mind almost entirely to the swarm's point of view, he often felt as if he were hurtling through a three dimensional maze of bright colors and lines, punctuated by sharp flashes of energy when another living creature moved into view. Below him, Shino saw a tangled skein of bright reddish-orange streaks entwined around dull bluish-grey pulses.

Underneath that knot of colors, another, thinner web of subtle greenish-grey seemed to link the blue-grey pulse-points like a sinister infrastructure, while bright green, orange, and pinkish veins stretched and twisted between then red streaks. This second, spidery net was really the kikkai's perception of smell, interwoven with their ability to sense chakra. Shino's mind interpreted the data as colors, and he saw now that the grey 'net' was the delicate chakra links between the replicas. It was the connection that allowed the Replicator to control his blood-cloned creatures. The red net was the link between Naruto and his clones, though it twisted and boiled with frightening power, and seemed always on the verge of snapping. Fortunately Shino did not have to spend a great deal of time examining his ally's disturbing chakra flow.

Vaguely, he was aware of Tenten's chakra signature behind him. She bristled and spiked, her energy a surging, complicated pattern of greens and blues on his consciousness. But then his kikkai descended into the battle below, and all his attention was pulled into the box canyon.

From the air it had been a confusing whirlwind of sights, smells, and sounds. Down among the fighters, it was a madman's nightmare. Shino struggled to ride the tide of screams, grunts, curses, and the occasional "Here I come!" and "U-Zu-Ma-Ki!" from Naruto. The replicas made almost no sound, except for the sharp crack of the bones that broken cleanly in half or the gritty, agonized groan of those that were crushed into fragments. Energy patterns twisted and spun all around him – from below, the left, above, right, _behind_ – and some of his kikkai-links winked out and went dark almost immediately as they were crushed or blown away in the melee. But the other thousand or so dispersed at his command through the canyon, each one following a winding trail of green-grey to a replica.

"Eat it, dirtbag!" A Naruto-clone screamed triumphantly, as two more clones wound a monstrous ball of chakra into a shuriken-shaped blast of wind chakra. He slammed the powerful attack into a crowd of replicas, and Shino felt a hundred kikkai-links die as the Wind Rasengan sent replicas and kikkai pinwheeling wildly into the canyon walls. At the exact same time, another hundred kikkai flickered out of his consciousness as Naruto spit a stream of flaming oil and incinerated another dozen replicas.

Shino shifted his focus, trying to pull back and sense the pattern of his widespread kikkai. He blocked as much of the audio-input as possible, and poured as much of his energy into the chakra-scent as he could. Distantly, he felt his muscles jerking and his breathing becoming labored, but his body was far away on a distant tree branch, and he had no attention to spare for its problems.

There...some of his kikkai had struck a stronger, thicker vein of the grey chakra net binding the replicas together. He summoned a few more and directed them along the vein, searching for the source. The vein joined with another, which was even stronger and had a definite pull to it, leading his kikkai towards the northern end of the canyon. Shino directed a few more nearby kikkai to that trail – and then a giant frog landed in the middle of the canyon and crushed most of the replicators along the vein. It winked out of existence, and Shino immediately cast around again, searching for another. He did not spare even a moment of attention to curse, although he felt a vague sense of irritation at the setback.

Another vein, almost as strong as the lost one, and Shino threw as many kikkai as he could at it. They buzzed and coiled, racing up the twisting path that wound between the replicas. Five replicas sprang into existence as Naruto accidentally sliced one open, and the new replicas networked with the vein Shino was following, immediately strengthening the flow. Now he had a definite sense of direction, and he recalled several more kikkai from nearby to join the slowly growing swarm he was sending up the vein.

And then the chakra vein seemed to pulse, like blood pulsing in a real vein as it nears the heart. The kikkai began to buzz in anticipation, and Shino recalled the rest of his swarm to concentrate on the northern side of the canyon, hunting for the source of the replica's control net.

Something was happening back near his body. He instinctively tried to connect to the kikkai that he always had near his body to safeguard it...and then had a brief moment of panic as he realized that there were none. He had _never_ – but Tenten was there, and he needed every kikkai he had to do this. The pulsing in the chakra vein was stronger now, and the chakra flow itself was practically carrying his kikkai toward the source involuntarily. Shino split the swarm, sending half around the northern edge of the canyon to circle in from behind, but allowed the remaining half to fly up the chakra vein, straight for the heart.

It was as he had predicted – the original Replicator could not get far from his replicas, not with this many engaged in complex fights with so many opponents. He was there, in the canyon with the rest of his selves, eyes glazed and skin glistening with sweat. He threw a kunai at a Naruto-clone, but the kunai went wide and struck one of his own clones, spawning two more replicas. The original groaned and threw another kunai, this one at random, and it struck into a cliff wall while the Naruto clones nearest turned to retaliate. But the original was at least still protecting his position, drawing the new replicas between himself and Naruto to shield his retreat.

He never saw the kikkai coming until they were on him. He screeched as the first half of the swarm reached him, and tried to jump away, but the second half surged up behind him like a black wave and wrapped him in a black, buzzing cocoon.

He had hardly any chakra left in his body, so strung out as it was in the control nets between the clones. It took Shino less than ten seconds to drain him completely dry.

The kikkai melted back, leaving the corpse behind.

Instantly, the canyon went silent.

A moment later, a dozen Narutos erupted into cheers. "Whoo hoo!" One nearest to the dead Replicator shouted, pumping a dirty fist and doing a ridiculous victory jig. "Aw man, who's awesome? Seriously? Who's awesome? Uzumaki Naruto is _The Man_!"

He jabbed a finger at a pile of immobile replicas, lying bonelessly around the canyon like so many discarded dolls. "You just got your ass handed to you, courtesy of the Leaf, baby!" He turned and shouted up the canyon walls, "And you guys rock, too! Aw, dude, you better _believe_ Konoha Shinobi are the fricking _sweetness_! Woo!"

"You're such a doofus," Ino yelled back. "Stop dancing, you look like you a lizard just bit you in the ass or something. Let's just get the hell out of here before Masaru's other shinobi figure out their boy here is done for and come after us. Their gonna start the main attack on the hide-out soon, so let's get outta the way. Hey Tenten, you alive over there?"

Shino blinked, flexing and stretching his stiff muscles as his kikkai burrowed back into his skin. He felt worn, sore, and utterly exhausted. His head ached from the massive inrush of sensory information, and he was certain he would be smelling the dozen different shades of blood, energy, and chakra-scorched dirt from that battle for hours yet. Mostly the blood, of course, but that was fairly typical after a large scale battle.

Actually, the blood scent was almost overpowering, and with a jolt Shino realized that it was more than a sensory memory he was registering now – there was a quantity of fresh blood in his immediate vicinity.

_Tenten._

He spun around, the kikkai not already back in the hive curling up around his body in an agitated cloud. She wasn't there, but a trail of fresh blood dripped sloppily along the branch -

Almost as soon as he crouched to jump, he relaxed again. Tenten appeared on the branch before him, and the kikkai flowed over his shoulder to coil almost possessively around her, checking her for injury and finding nothing. She looked startled for a moment, and then offered him a sudden, bright smile as she recognized the sensation of being scanned. Shino called the kikkai back and stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling the tightness in his throat and chest dissipate and leave him with only the dull, aching weariness.

Tenten dropped a bloody copper-colored whip that split into multiple, deadly looking tips on the branch. "She got away," she said with a note of irritation, then shrugged. "I didn't want to chase her and leave you exposed."

Shino considered his words, wondering if 'thank you' was appropriate or if she would be offended to be thanked for doing her job. But she turned away to call back a status report to Ino, and he decided that he could ask for her opinion on that later. They had plenty of time to discuss...well, many things. He was looking forward to it, looking forward to exploring this tentative new form of their friendship. He wanted her opinion on several things, things he had always deemed too intimate or simply not his business to ask.

But now he felt as if he had been granted permission to pursue all those questions (and perhaps more than questions)...and they had time. Tenten turned back to him and gave him a brief once-over, frowning as his body language registered with her and she realized how exhausted he really was. "Hey, you going to make it?" She asked quietly, stepping closer and hesitantly putting a hand on his arm.

He tried to reassure her but managed only a small, brief smile. "You look like hell," she told him, frown deepening. Then she laughed at his expression. "Don't look so grumpy about it, it's not your fault. Here," she sidled under his arm.

"I am fine," he told her, thinking that perhaps she was taking this concern too far. He surely didn't look that bad?

"Shh, I know," she said in a conspiratorial whisper, and then winked at him. "But you'll blow my excuse to hang on to you."

Was this what it was like for everyone? Shino wondered as she curled her fingers around his wrist and the last tension in his muscles faded.

The kikkai buzzed in his chest, and Ino screamed, "Look out!"

***

"Tenten? _Tenten!_"

"At least...two..."

***


	20. Payback

Notes: Does anyone remember chapter 4? This is sort of the conclusion to what happens in that chapter. Also, I reference chapter 14, too (Tenten's tachi and the katas she was doing). And finally, Ino and Sakura's conversation at the end references the end of chapter 5. If the pacing of this chapter seems crazy, it is. Imagine most of this chapter happening very, very quickly. Particularly at the end, when it takes five paragraphs to describe something that happens in about three seconds. It's also disjointed, but that happens in these kinds of fights, I imagine.

Goals: To redeem Tenten, wrap up Masaru's direct involvement in the plot, and do a leeetle bit of fangirling while I'm at it.

Warnings: The most confusing battle I've ever written.

Chapter 19

Payback

He was following her. She ran, fast, faster, and he followed. Walls loomed up out of the darkness, and she veered wildly to avoid them, sometimes only just managing to avoid pasting herself against them at the last second. She dodged and twisted through a shadowy labyrinth, employing every trick she knew to shake a pursuer, but still he followed, always just behind and just out of sight. The walls began to appear more frequently, disjointed, lopsided constructions that forced her to careen down steeply angled hallways and around sharp, threatening corners.

_Slow down_, his whisper caressed her ear. _The sooner I catch you, the sooner it's over, slow down, take it easy._

Tenten ran faster through the dark maze, and the hunter followed.

* * *

"I told you, I _can't_!" Ino practically screamed the last word at Naruto, frustration evident on her face. "I can't break through the genjutsu without putting her at more risk."

"But you're a genjutsu master, aren't you?" Naruto looked equally frustrated, irritated at his lack of ability to aid in this particular fight. "Can't you at least, you know, break in and have a peek? Give Tenten some kinda pointers or something? I mean, you helped her before when she got hit like this, right? Right?"

"That was totally different!" Ino responded angrily. She turned to Shino with an almost pleading look on her face. "I'm sorry, okay? But nobody here can help her right now, and we have to get back to base. They're already clearing out Masaru's forces, they might need us." She crossed her arms defensively, her features twisted with guilt and defiance. "Don't look at me like that."

"This_ is_ supposedly your area of expertise." Shino said coldly from where he leaned against the tree trunk.

Ino rubbed her temples tiredly. "Last time Tenten was mentally attacked, I managed to catch the guy before he fully got into her brain, and shoved him out again. He left a time bomb in there, yeah, but other than that he didn't get more than a foot in the door." She slowed her voice and enunciated her words clearly, like a schoolteacher rehashing an old lesson. "This time, her attacker not only got entirely into her mind, but as soon as he did, Tenten slammed her own mental shields around him. So, as I have _said_, I cannot get into her brain without breaking through her own defenses first, and if I did that, I would possibly leave her exposed to her enemy."

"So why don't we just find the guy who's doing it and punch him in the face?" Naruto waved a hand in front of Tenten's open, blank eyes again, perhaps thinking that the twentieth time was the charm. It wasn't – Tenten remained completely unresponsive, standing quietly on the tree branch staring into empty space.

"Because we don't know what effect killing him will have on this jutsu," Ino told him sharply. "We could end up trapping her in her own head, and then she'll be like," she hesitated, then gestured to Tenten's empty stare, "this," she finished. "Forever."

Shino's fingers, wrapped around her limp hand, tightened marginally.

"So then what can we do?" Naruto stamped a foot in frustration.

"We trust Tenten to fight her way out," Ino shrugged. "And we get back to base."

Shino felt a hand on his shoulder, and glanced up from Tenten's vacant face to the most empathetic expression he had ever seen on Uzumaki. "I'll carry her." Naruto smiled encouragingly. "Hell, I'll send a clone ahead to tell Sakura, and she'll be ready to help out as soon as we get there. It'll be great!" He flashed a thumbs up at Shino.

"Forehead is _not_ going to be able to help," Ino bristled immediately at the suggestion of her rival succeeding where she had failed, in her own specialty no less.

Shino pushed himself off the tree branch, wincing at the various sensations of fatigue and pain all over his thoroughly abused body. "Do it," he said curtly to Naruto. "You go ahead as well," he ordered Ino. "If you can't help here, go where you can. Naruto will be sufficient aid to myself and Tenten."

Ino looked offended at his dismissal and implied insult, but his voice, body language, and the low buzz of agitated kikkai warned her that Shino was obviously near a dangerous breaking point and provoking him was not a good idea. She settled for scowling at them all, flicking one last regretful look at Tenten's blank face, and then launching herself out into the trees. A Naruto-clone bounded after her, and in a moment both were lost in the foliage.

"Okay, okay," Naruto rubbed his hands together. "Well, let's shake a leg. Uh, hey, Shino..." he paused, scratched the back of his head, and shot Shino an almost apologetic glance. "Dude, you gonna need a, you know, shoulder to lean on too? I mean, you just look kinda beat, is all I'm sayin'."

Shino looked at Tenten's hand, still lax in his own. A small part of him, the part nearly giddy with exhaustion, was amused that Naruto should be so delicate about his...pride. As if it really mattered to him that he needed a crutch. The rest of him was simply to numb to care.

"Let's go," he said, dropping her hand.

* * *

The walls were jagged stones, edges blade-sharp and surface abrasive to the touch. There were more of them, too, jutting up harshly from the blackness beneath her feet and down from the blackness overhead. Behind her, the hunter's whisper echoed among them, _slow down, easy, easy, no point in rushing._

_We'll see_, Tenten replied, and reached a hand to brush the nearest wall as she bolted past. She focused her will, and thought not _stone_ but _wood, _not _wall _but _tree_, and under her skimming fingers she felt the rough, familiar bark of the trees that towered over Konoha. But trees didn't grow from blackness, and gradually the dark spaces beneath her feet became solid earth. And trees didn't grow downward, either, so the blackness overhead lightened into a clear, blue sky, and a moment later Tenten was racing through the familiar grounds of Konoha's forest. She turned and bounded through the trees with the ease of experience, and she felt the hunter fall a little farther behind.

_This is not right, _the hunter whispered. _And I will not allow it. _The branches began to twist and whip around in a sudden wind. The wind became increasingly violent, tearing leaves from limbs and turning them into a blinding storm of green. The branches whipped and cracked around her, and even the solid trunks groaned and bent under the force of the storm.

_You do not control this place_, the hunter told her, but there was a touch of petulance in his words. _It's mine_.

_We'll see._

* * *

"Report," the on-scene commander ordered as Naruto and Shino reached the base, Tenten draped listlessly on Naruto's back and Shino leaning heavily on Uzumaki's clone.

"Mission accomplished," Naruto said happily, grinning. "But Shino's wiped and Tenten's, um..." he jerked his head over his shoulder. The on-scene commander, an unfamiliar jounin with a permanent frown, swept his burden with a brief dismissive look.

"Med tent," he ordered. "Then you get over to the guard post, Uzumaki. You're on the next watch shift."

"Watch?" Naruto protested with a frown of his own. "What'dya mean watch? I've got to get to the big battle against Masaru, man! I'm not injured or anything."

"The engagement against Masaru is over," the jounin told them. "He's been captured and will be taken to trial by a congress of his peers. Now, you get to med tents," he jabbed a finger at Shino and Tenten, "and _you_ get on duty." He turned the finger towards Naruto's scowl.

"Aw man, you got to be kidding me," Naruto stomped towards the medical tent with Tenten on his back, Shino trudging behind. "Can't believe we missed getting the big bad guy!"

A series of shouts and the sounds of a fight broke out to their left, behind one of the camp tents. Naruto yelped and jumped backwards, nearly careening into Shino as the tent suddenly collapsed towards them. Three men tumbled through the ruins of the tent, two of them struggling to pin down the third. Leaf shinobi, Shino saw, struggling to hold down a bull of a man in heavy armor. Two more shinobi leaped into the fray, and one of them knocked the ornate helmet from the large man's head. "Hey, hey!" Naruto shouted, thrusting out an accusing finger. "It's him, isn't it? That's the guy, right?"

"Masaru," Shino confirmed, noting with some mild surprise that he was now too tired to even consider aiding his fellow shinobi in subduing the enemy. It was unnecessary anyway; the four Leaf already had him pinned and were methodically tying him down. They did not gag him, however, and he continued to roar with rage.

"Interfering monsters!" He bellowed. "Who are you to decide the fate of my country? Who are you to start a war among my people?"

By now a large crowd of shinobi had gathered around the scene, watching silently as the four guards finished securing the prisoner. A tall, lion-masked ANBU stepped forward and folded his arms calmly. "We started nothing," the muffled voice said from behind the mask. "We are merely a consequence of your actions."

Masaru's lips twisted into a strange cross between a smile and a snarl, and he threw himself against the ropes again until the knots creaked with his weight. "There are always consequences," he agreed in a harsh voice. "Even for you, shinobi." One of the guards clubbed him smartly on the back of the head; he jerked and fell back against the ground. His eyes swept the crowd of gathered Leaf one before they closed as he muttered something in a low, gravely voice that Shino could only just make out.

"Always."

* * *

The tree branches clawed at her wildly, leaves flew around her in a choking cloud, and even the earth seemed to heave beneath her feet with the churning winds. Tenten struggled to stay upright, to ground herself, but it was no good. The world was nothing but a vast howling gale, and she was at the heart.

Tenten threw one arm over her head to ward the clogging leaves from her face. She curled the fingers of her other hand loosely in the air, as if she were wrapping them around the hilt of a weapon. Her tachi, she thought, the beautiful, blue-bound, triple-forged horse-sword her team had given her in celebration of her jounin rank. She recalled the heft and weight of it, felt the blue hilt-bindings against her palm, and when she twitched her wrist, she saw the gleaming blade flash among the swirling leaves.

_It won't help you_, the hunter hissed. _You can't cut the winds_.

_My head_, Tenten replied savagely. _My rules_. She fought to stabilize herself for the one precious second she needed – now! She dug her heel in, spun sharply, and sliced her tachi blade down. The gale winds sang along the edge of the blade, and Tenten flowed immediately into the next slashing movement of the Wind forms of Ni Ten Ichi. Her tachi flashed around her body in a silver arc.

The wind followed.

Never stopping, never slowing, Tenten shifted from one stance to another, and the wind shifted with her blade, following the paths she inscribed in the air. The world became more stable around her, and as her movements became smoother, so did the winds. The storm still screamed around her, but it screamed at her command and left her untouched in its center.

_No,_ the hunter snapped. _Mine!_ The wind choked and died instantly; the leaves hung suspended in the air as if frozen out of time. Tenten looked down and saw that the earth had disappeared as well, leaving her likewise suspended in nothingness. _Your head, _the hunter growled, and she felt him circling her out in the nothing, nearer than before but unwilling to come directly at her. _But my game. I win, _the leaves rustled gently around her, quivering as they began to drift together. _You die. _

The leaves were hovering in one amorphous cloud above her now, and Tenten suddenly instinctively knew that they were no longer leaves but something much sharper, much deadlier. The green cloud seemed to draw itself in tightly, and then it suddenly hurtled towards her, hissing and rustling. She jumped back and tried to dodge, but not fast enough to avoid the edge of the mass. A few leaves brushed along her back, and she hissed as their razor-sharp edges sliced her skin, leaving four thin lines of fire across her shoulders.

The mass of leaves twisted, seeking her again, and Tenten felt her heart thump painfully as she realized she could not escape. There was nowhere to run.

"The med tent's not up right now," Sakura told them wearily. "It got knocked down by these idiots," she jerked her pink head at the four shinobi now dragging Masaru's bound body towards a nearby tree, anchoring him firmly to the trunk. "Shizune _told_ them they would need more than two guards. He's not a shinobi, but he's still dangerous."

Sakura moved to grab Shino's arm, but he stepped back and turned his head towards Naruto. The medic-nin swept him with a long look, then sighed and turned to help Naruto slide Tenten's body to the ground. "She looks alright on the outside," Sakura said, giving the other kunoichi a quick scan. "Just a few bruises, and a couple scratches on her back."

"Her physical condition is not the issue," Shino told her curtly, more so than he had intended.

She glared at him briefly in response, but he could see her sympathy mixed in with the irritation. "I hate to say it, but Ino was right on this one. We can't get in there without endangering her, not out here with the time and equipment we have. Maybe the enemy shinobi's hold will weaken the farther away she gets from him."

"Unless he followed us here," Shino replied, stiffly lowering himself to sit against a nearby stack of bedrolls. "In which case he could be closer than eve, and possibly infiltrating our camp as we speak."

Sakura jerked upright and stared at him. "Of course he could," she said in a startled tone as she realized that he was right. "What the heck were you thinking then? You shouldn't have brought her –"

"Aw, Sakura, give the guy a break!" Naruto interrupted. "He's beat, and besides, Ino said this loser genjutsu jerkoff is trapped inside Tenten's head because she put down mind-shields or something. So he probably can't do much right now until Tenten kicks him out."

Sakura turned her unbelieving stare from Shino to her own teammate, and Shino felt a mild shock as well at Uzumaki's remark. He had not expected the blond to be so…astute. "That is likely the case," he agreed after a moment. "Besides, there was always the possibility that the enemy would be as incapacitated as Tenten, and perhaps the increased distance between them would break the jutsu."

Sakura nodded, still looking uncertain. "Still, someone better tell the guards. Just in case."

"I'll do that," Naruto scowled. "I gotta go stand watch anyway."

"What? You're on watch? Then what are you doing standing around, idiot? Get to the guard post!" Sakura slammed a fist into his cheek, knocking him head over heels back through the camp. She jumped to her feet and stomped towards him, shaking her fist menacingly.

Naruto was on his feet in an instant and shooting through the camp, yelling back over his shoulder, "Okay, okay, I'm going! Ouch, ouch! _Sakura_!"

"One of these days she's really going to kill him," Shino heard one of Masaru's guards say to another.

"Nah," the second guard replied. "It's like love or something."

"Painful, bone-crunching love," the first muttered.

The second made some reply, but Shino abruptly tuned them out as Tenten gave a small, quiet gasp. He looked down and saw a thin trickle of blood oozing down he right hand from a shallow cut that he knew had not been there a moment before. Damn, he thought, leaning over and grabbing her wrist. The genjutsu must be manifesting physically now. He regretted bitterly that he had never particularly bothered with genjutsu study, since the kikkai could see right through them. This physical manifestation could mean that the genjutsu was breaking down, or it could mean it was growing stronger, rooting more firmly in her mind.

He sent a few kikkai to settle on her neck, over the pulse point. Her heart was still steady and slow, but even as he watched, another two long, thin marks appeared on her right leg, winding down around her ankle. Shino sent a handful of kikkai to fetch Sakura back, but he knew with a sick, helpless feeling that there was little the medic could do but heal the existing marks. She could no more stop new ones than Shino himself.

"She's going to die," a hoarse voice said from nearby.

"Quiet, or we will gag you," one of Masaru's guards warned sharply, but the former daimyo did not even glance at him. He stared at Shino, bruised face impassive.

"I know what's happening to her," he said evenly. "One of my shinobi has her locked inside her head. He's killing her from the inside." His eyes narrowed at Shino. "Is it not similar to the manner in which you killed my wife?"

"Enough!" The guard said again, reaching into a pouch and pulling out a thick black gag.

"No one killed your wife," Shino rasped through a dry, tight throat, "but you."

Masaru's face was impassive again as the guard shinobi leaned down to tie the gag. "I did what needed to be done," he said just before the black material slid between his teeth.

And then he slammed his head forward directly into the guard's forehead, knocking the man back to the ground. The other three guards lunged forward, but it was too late. Masaru's ropes were loosed, and with a bellow he surged to his feet, slamming into a second guard and sending him flying into the third.

Still dangerous, Shino thought tiredly, and lifted his free hand to summon what was left of his swarm.

* * *

They were coming for her again, and though she kept avoiding the main mass, she could not move clear of them entirely. Her body was now a patchwork of stinging cuts, and with every dodge she felt herself get a little more tired, a little bit slower.

The mass of leaves hissed and crackled as it twisted in the nothingness, back towards her. She tensed and prepared to spring away again, knowing that it was only a matter of time before one of these deadly leaves caught her in a vital spot, somewhere that would slow her down too much to avoid the main mass.

The leaves swarmed at her again, and Tenten prepared to make one more deperate move –

- and suddenly realized that she didn't have to.

They don't cut, she told herself, shutting her eyes against the sight of the inrushing green death. They absorb.

And they would not hurt me.

She heard the deadly cloud hissing all around her, she was in the center of it now, but nothing sliced into her exposed skin. She could feel it – them – swarming all around, but now the hissing was altered subtly. It sounded more like buzzing.

Tenten opened her eyes and smiled at the black cloud that hovered and swirled around her, glittering against the blank nothingness. Distantly, she could feel the hunter's confusion. He did not recognize what his weapons had become, and did not understand what they could do.

_Watch and learn_, she told him, stretching out a hand.

_Seek_.

* * *

Masaru lunged upright, slapping the fourth guard down with a surprisingly fast backhand. His heavy gauntlets knocked the chunin down into the dirt in a spray of blood, and Masaru crunched over his back with metal-lined boots. A nearby chunin came running around the tents, saw Masaru knocking down the final guard, and flung a kunai at him. It struck him in the shoulder, but he barely seemed to feel it, plunging recklessly forward. This was a stupid escape attempt, Shino thought, struggling to gather enough energy to send a swarm at the rampaging warrior. He had passed those four chunin guards through luck mostly, but as more shinobi from around the camp heard the noise and came to investigate, he would be put down. This must be simply an attempt to die fighting, and avoid the trial of peers.

Shino gathered as much of the swarm as he could summon and sent it hurtling towards Masaru's head, hoping to blind and deafen him long enough for the nearest incoming Leaf to reach him. Through the hive-link, he saw something white flash in Masaru's hand, and he suddenly he realized that Masaru was not aiming for the edge of camp. He was headed for the center of camp with an explosive that would level at least half of it.

"He's got a bomb!" He shouted hoarsely at the flash of pink that came charging from a nearby tent.

"Oh _hell_ no!" Sakura shouted. She leaped through the air and came crashing down, fist-first, onto Masaru's broad back. Shino heard the crunch of multiple breaking bones, and then the thud of Masaru's body hitting the ground. Sakura used her momentum to throw herself forward towards the edge of camp, swooping down as she went and snagging the explosive from Masaru's large hand. "Naruto!" She yelled, flinging the explosive towards her teammate. Naruto leaped up and grabbed the explosive, twisted in midair, and whipped it around in one movement, hurtling it along the same path. Then he slapped his hands together, and in a puff of smoke, a human-sized frog appeared in the air, leaping from Naruto's body towards the bomb. The frog caught the bomb in its mouth, and with a chakra charged leap, vanished out into the trees.

The camp seemed to hold its collective breath for a long moment, and then a resounding _ba-boom! _rocked the trees and shook the ground.

"Well," someone said. "That was one way to do it." Shino looked down, and felt the tight iron bands he hadn't even known were around his heart loosen and vanish. Tenten blinked up at him, reaching with her non-bloody hand to push loose hair from her face. "Hey," she said.

"Hello," was all he could think to say in return.

"So it's over then?"

"Masaru is contained," Shino told her. "His regime is ended."

She pulled her bloody wrist from his grip and twined her fingers in his instead. "And the Taneda?"

"I don't know," he said, leaning his head back against the stack of rolled blankets behind him. Carefully, he pulled one free and pushed it under her head. "They were supposed to deal with all of Masaru's other shinobi while we handled the Replicator."

"They probably did fine," she murmured, eyes dropping shut.

Shino tightened his grip on her hand, but she only smiled. "It's okay," she reassured him. "He's dead. I mean," she frowned. "His body might still be alive somewhere, but it isn't going to be doing him too much good anymore. He put his mind in mine," she explained, yawning. "And I killed it. Him. His mind, I mean."

"Good." Shino's head sunk down further into his collar. Vaguely, he was aware of Haruno Sakura kneeling on Tenten's other side, and the kikkai registered the flow of chakra as the medic began to heal Tenten's cuts.

Tenten's fingers tightened briefly on his, and he heard her mutter, "That whip chick still got away. Might have to deal with her again someday."

"Hm."

Sakura moved to his side next, and Shino felt the cool sensation of healing chakra moving over his sore muscles and the still aching wound on his chest.

"Worry about that when it happens," Tenten whispered, and Shino nodded in reply. "We got time."

**

"Aw, that's adorable."

"They look like five kinds of hell, Ino-pig. Look, the blood on her hands is drying on their fingers, and I can't get at the cut because he won't let go. That's unsanitary."

"Oh shut up, Forehead. Don't kill the romance here."

"Infection is _not_ romantic."

"Killjoy."

"…okay, it's a little cute."

"Yeah. Oh, and you owe me five bucks."

**


	21. Plots, Power, and Parents

Notes: I've been beating these guys up for a few chapters, maybe it's time to take a break. Or maybe not. For those of you who are squeamish, there's a lot of 'relationship' talk in this one. And it's a little bit confusing if you're not a female, or have ever had a close relationship with one, or ever seen one going through the first phases of a new relationship. It's never easy.

Goals: To establish a couple more problems these two might have, and show how they might have to work around them.

Warnings: Tenten will appear to be somewhat crazy in this one. She's not, trust me. Some cussing.

**Chapter 20**

**Plots, Power, and Parents**

"You're pretty lucky, you know."

Tenten crossed her arms and leaned against a tree trunk laconically, only slightly disappointed that Shino did not jump in surprise at the sound of her voice. Instead, he calmly rose from where he'd been kneeling by an old tree stump and turned to face her, hands in pockets and face obscured as ever. "That is a true statement in many ways," he agreed conversationally. "What specific luck were you referencing?"

Tenten pushed herself off the tree and crossed the training field towards him, spinning a shuriken absently on her finger. "The medics told me to take it easy on you for a few weeks," she informed him, smirking. "Turns out that whole 'nearly died of internal injuries' thing gives you a good excuse to avoid some major butt-kicking for awhile."

"Ah," Shino nodded, watching her advance until she was only a few feet away. "Lucky me."

"And I was thinking on my way over here that medics are just a bunch of worrywarts, but now that I look at you," she made a show of scanning him objectively. "You do still look pretty pathetic," she smiled teasingly. "Guess I'll have to let you off today after all."

"You should know better," he said, a few inches behind her ear, "than to judge something by appearance." Tenten flinched as his breath blew a few loose strands of hair into her ear and tickled her cheek. At the same time, the Shino standing in front of her dissolved suddenly into a cloud of kikkai. So much for sneaking up on him, Tenten thought with fond exasperation. She turned on her heel and lashed out with a fist, but he was already moving back and away. She flung the shuriken at him, but he vanished in a flash of smoke, and her shuriken buried itself harmlessly in a log.

"Hey, easy with the chakra usage," she yelled into the trees, jumping up to higher ground and summoning an odachi. The massive blade was designed for horse-back combat, which meant it was big, heavy, and slow. Normally she would never draw it against a single opponent, but it would keep this fight at an easier pace. "I wasn't kidding about the medics," she shouted. "Sakura will be pretty upset if I put you back in the hospital two days after you get out of it."

"Your concern is touching," he said, this time a foot from her left. She swept her blade around and sliced the second log cleanly in half. "But it is hardly necessary," he concluded, a foot from her right. Tenten snorted at the hint of indignation she heard in his voice and continued her left-spin, arcing around until she did a full three-sixty. The full spin allowed him time to move back out of swing range, but she must really have annoyed him because he did not continue his retreat.

Instead, he moved back into her range as soon as the blade passed him, grabbed her right wrist and snaked his other hand around to snag her left elbow. The momentum of the heavy sword carried her body along with it, giving her no time to stop the swing and get away from his hold. She attempted to lean forward and twist out of his grasp, but he simply moved with her. Suddenly, he dug his fingers into her elbow slightly, just enough to force her arm down, and simultaneously tugged on her right wrist. She felt him move in closer behind her, his left leg deliberately bumping into the back of her knee and forcing it to bend. She could just barely feel his chest brush her back, and she registered the heat from his arms against hers with almost embarrassing clarity. He's distracting me deliberately, she thought. And sadly enough, it was working. Her face was already heating up, and she felt her stomach tighten in a way that had nothing whatsoever to do with battle-tension.

And then she realized what he was distracting her from, as the momentum of the sword combined with the new position of her body forced the heavy blade in a new arc. "Hey!" she yelped as he manipulated her to whirl in a circle, the odachi sweeping harmlessly around them both as he moved with her. He was _controlling_ her!

Oh _hell_ no, she thought, and let the odachi vanish. In its place appeared a dao sword, still longer and slower than regular swords but thinner and easier to control. Instantly her body shifted to adjust to the weight, and she felt him shift with her, loosening his grip on her right hand while slightly readjusting his fingers on her left elbow. The dao was also a two handed sword, long enough that even she had trouble controlling it with just one. Shino knew that, of course, so he was careful to maintain control on both her arms.

Tenten released the dao with her left hand, reaching back over her head to grab his collar. She felt him jump in surprise, but she was already shifting her weight, flipping around and pushing back until he was in front of her again. Her left hand was fisted in his collar, her right wrist trapped in his hand. She stepped forward, keeping her arm stiffly between them, and forced him back a step. While he was still unbalanced, she thrust her right arm forward. He reacted well, drawing a kunai and blocking her sword. With a complicated move that she hadn't expected him to know, he twisted her blade out of her hand and swiped at her, forcing her to back off.

Tenten landed a few feet away and summoned a handful of kunai automatically, but she didn't throw them. "Well that's new," she laughed, looking at Shino standing a few feet away with her sword in his hands. "Isn't that normally my move you're stealing there?"

"I could ask the same," he commented, nodding to her hands. Tenten blinked and then laughed harder as she realized that she was mimicking his stance, feet braced and hands outstretched. The only difference of course was that her hands bristled with a dozen silvery blades rather than a cloud of hissing black kikkai.

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen a single one of his normal weapons yet. Uh oh. Maybe Sakura had been right, and he was still recovering. Tenten had a flush of remorse; she had been joking when she'd told him he was too weak to be fighting, but it was possible she'd been more correct than she'd thought. Which was strange, because if he really was still weak than he should know better than to spar with her right now. Not that his interesting new interpretation of 'spar' could really be considered a viable fight. Tenetn fought back a (very tiny, hardly noticeable) blush at the memory of his breath against her ear. Knock it off with the hormones, she told her subconscious guiltily. Not everything is about sex.

But the more she thought about it, the more suspicion started to override the guilt. He would never really pull a move like that in a real fight. And if he really couldn't use his kikkai much right now, then he would have focused on putting as much distance between them as he could to give himself a break in between engagements. The aggressive way he's invaded her personal space combined with the obvious way he used his proximity to distract her might not have been an attempt to beat her after all. Shino was definitely the sort to…push limits, as it were.

Hang on, she thought. It's a little early to go worrying about that sort of stuff, isn't it? We only just got back from the Masaru thing, and we've been in the hospital and we've barely even started this whole thing we've got together. He's not going to push, not yet, not when we're both still so uncertain…

Tenten remembered suddenly the weird, half-worried, half-irritated look on Kiba's face months ago, when he'd stopped her outside the Town hall after the public Aburame wedding. The Inuzuka had hemmed and hawed for a few minutes before finally blurting out that she should 'go easy.' When she'd asked him what he was talking about, Kiba had sighed loudly, rolled his eyes and barked, "He's not a casual guy, alright? So don't be, you know, casual with him and expect the same back."

At the time, it hadn't made a whole lot of sense to Tenten, at least not in any way that she was willing to think about too hard. But now…well. She considered Shino for a moment, studying his hands in particular: the long fingers, the square set of his palms, and the lack of calluses on his knuckles. "Hey," she said softly, dropping her stance and putting her kunai away. "Are you…" she trailed off, not entirely certain what exactly she wanted to ask. Shino stood silently, still gripping her sword defensively as if he expected this to be a trap.

Tenten struggled to untangle her thoughts, but she wasn't entirely sure where to begin. It shouldn't be this complicated, she told herself grumpily. She had been in relationships before, for crying out loud. In her experience, relationships required a fairly straightforward thought process. You enjoyed someone's company, you were physically attracted to them, and you knew that they reciprocated. End of thought process. But if she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that none of her former relationships had really been anything serious. Casual, she thought; they were all pretty casual. And I think Kiba was right – Shino was not a casual guy.

So if he really meant what he had said about his feelings toward her, then before this went any further at all, she really needed to think about hers. She needed to be sure that this wasn't just hormones and friendship and proximity all wrapped up in her head to look like something it was not. With other guys, she had always known that if it didn't work out between them, hey, no harm, no foul. She didn't think that rule would really apply to Shino.

"Perhaps I was not the only one in need of recovery time," he remarked suddenly, and Tenten realized that she'd been staring at him silently for an awkwardly long time. He could easily have attacked, but for some reason he was simply standing in his defense stance, waiting. Maybe he thought he'd freaked her out with his little body puppetry trick. Well, as a matter of fact, he had. A little. It was almost scary, how quickly and easily he'd simply taken control of the fight like that. He had even used her attraction to him to swing things in his favor.

She wasn't sure she liked the idea of Shino always being the one in control.

Of course, he could hardly be blamed for that if she never even made an attempt to take some of that control herself. A half-formed idea flitted through her head, and she shrugged to herself. Well, why not? After all, she'd never know if she didn't try. Besides, sword katas were one of the most soothing things in the world. She had never had a problem that she couldn't work out while she flowed through them, giving her subconscious time to work out the problem while her conscious mind focused on stances and form. Sword katas would give them both something to focus on together while still maintaining a little space.

"Did you know that over seventy percent of the shinobi in this village do not know how to properly hold a sword?" she asked, walking back across the branch towards him. She saw his fingers twitch slightly on the hilt of her dao sword. "The Academy only teaches us to hold kunai," she went on quickly before he could feel insulted. "Kunai are cheaper, more portable, and easier to make. So not a whole lot of us even use swords, let alone get a lot of training on it."

"I take it that I am one of those seventy percent," Shino said, finally dropping his stance and flipping the blade to present her the hilt. She took it quickly, snapped it into her scroll and exchanged it for a smaller, much more manageable short sword. Then, acting on impulse, she caught his wrist, spun around, and pulled him forward until he was once again an inch or so from her back. She slipped the sword into his right hand and carefully adjusted his fingers. She held out her left hand, and smiled a little when Shino held up his compliantly. She rearranged his left hand until his fingers aligned with hers, his left hand a mirror to her own. Okay, forget space, she thought. But it will still give us something to focus on.

"Relax," she tapped his right wrist lightly with her knuckles. "You'll strangle it."

"What?"

Tenten shot him a quick glance over her shoulder, then looked back at his white-knuckled grip. "Think of the hilt as a bird," she explained. "If you grip it too loosely, it flies away." She tugged sharply on his wrist, then shifted into a basic defensive stance, moving deliberately to give him time to copy. "If you grip too hard, you strangle it." She pushed his arm into an arc, nudging his arm slightly with hers to guide the blade's path. "Too loose and you lose control, too tight and you lose fluidity." She frowned and tapped his wrist again. "Shino, _relax_."

"Easier said," he muttered, but his fingers loosened.

"Good," Tenten said, "now like this." She moved into the first of her favorite set of katas, making each muscle adjustment as deliberate as she could. He followed her meticulously, although twice more she had to readjust his grip and force him to loosen his hold. "You don't have to worry about dropping it so much," she told him after the second time. "The sword is not trying to get away from you, Shino. You can trust it a little."

"Very well," he said. Tenten smiled at him encouragingly over her shoulder and flowed into another stance. Then she felt him move his left hand, sliding it under her arm and resting it against her stomach. He shifted his stance, repeating the katas she had just shown him. Now she was the one moving in response to his position. He spread his hand along her abdomen and used slight adjustments in pressure to direct her forward or back.

Well, she thought, blush back in full force, _that_ plan backfired in a completely predictable way. Not that she was completely unhappy about it, but it was definitely not nearly as calming an exercise as she'd originally meant. And he was in control again, damn it.

She stepped back into the next stance, trying to at least anticipate his movements if not preempt them. But she rushed it, moving too quickly for him to adjust. She bumped hard into his chest, knocking them both a little off balance. He braced himself against the push, and his hand pressed a little harder against her stomach, both steadying her and pulling her in closer. Abruptly Tenten decided that this situation was in no way conducive to clear thinking, soothing sword katas be damned.

"Shino, wait a second," she said, carefully extracting herself from his arms and stepping back, leaving him once again standing across from her with her sword in his hand. This time, he handed it back to her at once and moved away himself, shoving one hand into his pocket.

Tenten struggled for another moment to sort out what she wanted to say, but this time Shino didn't wait as long. "This is confusing," he said quietly.

Tenten stared at him, and then felt some of the tension in her shoulders dissolve. Master of analysis, indeed. "Yeah," she agreed, reaching up and rubbing her forehead. "It kind of is."

"Perhaps you would like some time to…consider things," he went on, although there was now a reluctant tone to his words.

Tenten frowned at him. "Don't say it like that," she admonished. "You make it sound like I'm going to change my mind about you."

"If that were not a danger already," he said sharply, leaning back against the tree trunk and lowering his head slightly. "We would not be having this conversation."

"Stop that," she replied, just as sharply. "I'm not saying that I'm confused about how I feel about you. I'm just saying I'm confused about," she shook her head again, then threw up her hands. "I don't have any idea where this is going, okay?" She knew it wasn't the clearest way to express anything, but it was as good as she could get without risking major insult. How else does one say 'I don't know what you want from me, and I don't know if I'm willing to give it anyway, and damn it why do _you_ get to be the one calling the shots?' without sounding like a terrible person?

Shino was silent for a long moment, but Tenten had done her share of blurting things out, so she stayed stubbornly quiet. Finally, he pulled his free hand back into his pocket and lifted his head. "You are not on a mission tomorrow," he said. "Nor will you be meeting with your teammates. I know this because I have seen Rock Lee departing on a mission earlier today, and I know the others are already deployed."

Tenten stared at him, thrown by the sudden loop in the conversation. Was he just going to change the subject and pretend none of this had happened? "Yes?" she ventured uncertainly.

"I would like you to meet me," he went on, pushing off the tree trunk. He turned, jumped down to the ground below, and called back over his shoulder. "In front of the Hokage's office at noon."

"Okay," she replied, jumping after him. So, she thought, standing nervously behind him and regarding his back. Now what?

"Good," he said, and started to walk away.

It felt wrong to Tenten, letting him go like that. He didn't seem upset anymore, but it was hard to tell with Shino. She didn't want him to go thinking that she was about to do a one-eighty on him. Tenten thought about how still he'd gone when she'd moved away from him, and she grit her teeth. Don't be stupid, she thought, although whether she meant herself or Shino, she wasn't sure and didn't care.

"Hey!" She called, and darted around him. Her sudden appearance in his path forced him to a halt, but before he could react, Tenten reached up and yanked his head down. She pressed a hard kiss to his mouth, then whispered fiercely against his lips, "I'll be there. I promise."

She let go, turned, and walked briskly into the trees without looking back. Let him stew on _that_, she thought righteously. Meanwhile, she had a pouchful of explosive tags and a lot of confusion to work off.

* * *

Tenten was in front of the Hokage's office by eleven the next day, sitting on a bench and watching the crowds go by with her hands folded and her back resolutely straight. She had no idea what he was planning, so she'd dressed and armed herself for a fight…just in case. She figured she could handle whatever he had cooked up with her lucky 'Chain-Reacting Thousand Exploding Shuriken' scrolls, which was an awesome and practical name for a weapon no matter _what_ Neji said. She hadn't used one against Shino yet, but if he got all grumpy and offended at her because she just didn't happen to be that good at expressing herself in a manner he liked, well –

It occurred to Tenten that she was being maybe just a tiny little bit defensive. After all, this was Shino. Shino, she told herself, the man you love. Even if you're not entirely sure you understand him. And you know he feels the same way about you, even if you don't know why. He's not going to do anything that's going to hurt you. Deliberately, anyway. Maybe the exploding shuriken scrolls were a bit of an overreaction.

On the other hand, this was Shino. Who knew what he was planning?

Right, she thought, better safe than sorry. She would wait inside the Hokage's office, which was a much more secure location, until he showed up. Then she could approach _him_, instead of the other way around. That would put her in control of the situation, at least at first. See, I can be sneaky too, she told herself grimly, getting to her feet and making for the front entrance.

The door swung open before she touched it, and a tall man in a dark overcoat and sunglasses stepped out. "Ah!" Tenten jumped back. Then she looked closer and immediately started to apologize. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean – I just thought you were, um - "

"Someone else?" Aburame Shibi asked, stepping to the side to clear the doorway.

"Yeah. Um, yes." Tenten cleared her throat. "Sorry about that. It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm Tenten."

He adjusted his glasses without speaking, and Tenten's skin prickled as she realized that he was doing the exact same thing his son did, that Looking At You Without Looking trick that made her feel like she was being dissected. Then he lifted his head and nodded to her politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he replied.

"I'm supposed to be meeting Shino at noon," Tenten said, feeling like she had to explain herself without knowing why. "I'm early," she added, and then desperately wished that she had not. Crap, could this get any more awkward?

"So I see," he replied, and the following silence answered Tenten's question nicely. Great, she thought. Way to make a wonderful impression. He probably thinks I'm some kind of air-headed idiot. What self-respecting kunoichi hangs out at the Hokage's office for an hour when she knows the person she's meeting won't be there? And Tenten really did not want Shino's father thinking she was an idiot. After all, she didn't know how important his father's opinion might be to Shino, but if this whole relationship was as serious as she thought it might be…

"We did not find him," Shibi told her, and Tenten's train of thought derailed with a crash.

"You didn't?" She asked tentatively, trying not to show her total bewilderment.

Shibi tilted his head at her the way Shino did when he was trying to figure out her next move in a fight. "The rogue genjutsu shinobi who attacked your mind in the battle against Masaru," he clarified. "I assume you are interested in his fate?"

"Of course," she answered, still lost. Then she blinked and glanced at the Hokage's office building. "Wait, you were sent to find the body?"

Shibi nodded. "I have returned to make my report," he informed her. "My return was scheduled for this time." He regarded her for a moment, and then said, "I did not find his body. It was either moved by an outside party, or-"

"Or he's still alive," Tenten frowned. "And you didn't find any trail, so it's more likely he left under his own power. Add him to the whip-chick and that makes two of Masaru's people who probably got away. Great."

Shibi shifted his weight slightly, the way Shino did when he was mildly surprised. "How did you know there was no trail?"

"You would have mentioned it by now," she responded absently, thinking about the whisper of the hunter who had chased her through her mind. Then she realized what she'd said, and snapped back to reality with a jolt. "I mean, Shino would have, in your place," she tried to explain. "Sorry, sorry, it's just that you are a lot like him – or he's a lot like you, I mean, of course. Sorry," she finished lamely.

Shibi chuckled, and the sound was a little lower and slightly more gravelly than his son's. Tenten made a weak attempt to smile back at him, but she felt too thoroughly stupid and awkward to manage it well. "You remind me of an old friend of mine," he said. "One of my teammates from my genin days. He had a tendency to speak his thoughts aloud without realizing it," Shibi bowed his head and chuckled again, more to himself than to her. "It brought him no end of grief."

"I'm usually much better about it than this," Tenten shrugged with embarrassment. "This is just sort of awkward. No offense," she held up her hands pleadingly, but Shibi shook his head to cut her off.

"I understand," he said sympathetically. "Meeting the family is always the most difficult step. I did little better when I met my father-in-law."

Tenten choked a little at that, but the older Aburame started to stroll casually down the walkway, and it would be rude not to follow when the conversation was so obviously unfinished. Tenten fell into step next to him and focused on controlling her face. "Somehow I don't think you were nearly as bad as I am," she said, just a little rebelliously.

"I barely said three words," Shibi told her. "And then I spilled an entire pot of tea all over myself." He paused, then sighed. "Unfortunately, there are few sins one can commit in that gentleman's eyes that are worse than crimes against tea."

"Katsu?" Tenten guessed, and then she giggled involuntarily. "I thought he was _your_ father."

"If that were so," Shibi told her gravely, "then he would currently be the Kao, not myself."

"The Kao," Tenten rummaged through her thoughts. "The head of the Aburame clans, right?"

"Shino has told you quite a bit about our family it seems," Shibi said, then added in a lower voice, "He moves faster than I thought."

"So I take it you are aware of, um," she frowned, then decided to just bite the bullet and get it over with. "You know I'm with your son."

"Yes," he said gravely. "For some time now."

"We've only really been together for a week," Tenten replied, surprised. "And we've both been in the hospital for most of that. I hardly saw him."

"You have been dating for a week," Shibi responded calmly. "You have been with him for much longer than that."

Tenten stared at him. "What?"

Shibi reached the bench Tenten had formerly vacated and sat down, waiting until she sat next to him to answer. "You have loved my son for a long time," he told her matter-of-factly. "Whether you were fully aware of it at the time is irrelevant. To the outside observer, it was obvious."

Tenten flinched, but he wasn't finished yet. "You spent a great deal of your time with him, reacted differently to his presence than you did to any other, and when he was in danger, you threw yourself into harm's way to aid him without even calling for backup." Shibi leaned back in the bench, looking up at the leaves on the overhanging tree as if he were studying them for future reference. "Thus did I, and anyone else who took the time to observe you for more than thirty seconds, know that you cared deeply for him."

I can't believe I'm having this conversation, Tenten thought. But as long as I am, I might as well get something out of it. "Well, that's just me," she laughed nervously. "How did you know…I mean, what made you think it wasn't all just one-sided on my part?"

Shibi's face stayed turned towards the leaves, but again, Tenten felt that tingling sensation of a million hidden eyes regarding her. "I watched him for fifteen seconds," he said.

"I'm not sure I know what he wants from me," Tenten said abruptly.

Shibi lifted a hand and caught a leaf as it drifted down towards the bench. He held it by the stem and regarded it with interest, twisting it between his fingers to make it spin. "Does he know what you want from him?"

Tenten digested this for a moment. She looked at her watch. Then she stood up and bowed to Aburame Shibi politely. "Thank you, sir," she said. "I'm afraid I need to go now. I have an appointment."

"It is eleven thirty," Shibi lowered his head and raised an eyebrow. "You did say you were meeting him at noon?"

Tenten simply smiled. "I really am glad that I ran into you today."

He nodded in response. "May we have many more such meetings."

Tenten walked back down the sidewalk, passed the door to the Hokage's office, and went around the corner until the bench and its occupant were out of sight. Then she folded her arms and said to the air, "You set that up."

"Perhaps," Shino replied from a few feet behind her, where he was leaning on the fence.

"You knew he would be here, that I would come early, and that we'd end up talking." She glared at him over her shoulder, refusing to turn around and face him fully. "Did you also know what he would say? Did you tell him what you thought I needed to hear?"

"Do you think my father would play along with me if I did?"

Tenten held on to the suspicion for a moment longer, than sighed and let it go. "Well, I wouldn't know, would I? I'd never met him."

"Now you have," Shino said, still leaning on the fence and making no move to approach her. "Did he say what you needed to hear?"

Tenten turned and thumped her back into the fence next to him. "You always seem to have a plan," she told him. "It just worries me that I'm not in on this one," she gestured between the two of them again. "And I feel like I ought to be."

"If it comforts you," Shino said, "I'm making this up as I go."

Tenten laughed softly. "So am I."

"Yesterday," Shino said after a moment, "You were uncertain of how serious I am about this."

"How serious we both are," she replied. "I really don't want to find out later that we were both expecting something totally different. Factor in how we're still sort of working out the dynamics of this relationship and I've never been good with uncertainties. Oh, and then there was that war we just had," she added. "That always makes me a little irrational."

"Are you more certain now?" he asked.

Tenten considered. "Not really," she said. "I still don't know where we're going, or how far. But," she pushed off the wall and reached for his hand. "I don't feel like it's totally out of my control anymore. That's a big help."

"It is a start," he agreed, taking her hand.

**

"Ah, Aburame Shibi! How pleasant and fortuitous that we meet on such a lovely day! I deeply regret that I must report the results of my mission immediately, but I wish you good health and high spirits on this lovely afternoon!"  
"My thanks, Maito Gai. When you are finished with your report, I wonder if you might have a moment to spare."

"Why of course! I always have time to share the glories of life with my comrades, and to revel in the warm sunlight of youth and friendship! Although I must warn you that my report is of some length and detail – perhaps we should meet later this evening?"

"No."

"Oh ho, my friend, we must never forget that the power of youth comes hand in hand with the impatience of youth! Tell me, what precisely, may I enquire, is the subject of your interest in my company? Do you wish to learn the secrets of my vitality and infamous stamina? Or is there some other topic of great appeal to you?"

"My son. Your student."

"Ah. Five minutes, please."  
"I will wait here."

**


	22. Interlude 2: Family

Notes: Posted early because I'll be traveling all day tomorrow. Merry Christmas (and any other festive greeting of your choice)! I originally wasn't going to actually write this scene, just reference back to it later on. But so many people said how much they looked forward to seeing it, and then the more I thought about it the more fun it seemed. So. Once again I turn to Shibi; it's been awhile since I attempted to write him. I wanted him to sound similar to Shino but without being an older cardboard copy. And for those who are confused, the person he is talking to in his head from time to time is his wife, whom I killed off forever ago, because I am a horrible, horrible person.

Goals: Foreshadow some plot, establish a few roles/attitudes among those outside of the main characters, and have some fun with Gai (because I haven't written Gai in far too long).

Warnings: An Abundance of Exclamation!

**Interlude 2**

**Family**

Shibi did not believe in predestination, nor did he believe that history always repeated itself. He did, however, believe in patterns. When water ran down a slope, it left a distinct trail which made it easier for more water to flow in the same path. The lives of people were no more fated to run certain courses than a creek was 'fated' to run downhill– they simply tended to follow in the path of those who went before.

The men of Shibi's family for example, had a worrying tendency to fall for women with...unusual father figures. His own father had married a woman from outside of the village, the daughter of a prison warden who specialized in torture (a fact that had given his mother no end of ammunition against her husband). Shibi himself had a father-in-law who could terrify a room full of shinobi merely by drinking tea. Even years later, Shibi still shivered whenever he recalled his first meeting with Katsu, and the incredibly threatening way that his wife's father had sipped that oolong tea.

And now Shibi's son, who hated to be left behind, appeared bound and determined to follow the path set by his forefathers. If anything, Shibi thought to himself, Shino was potentially trying to one-up his old man with the strangest father-in-law of them all.

A gust of cold air blasted up the street into his face, a precursor to the storms his kikkai could sense coming tonight, and Shibi huddled a little deeper into his jacket. The man striding along beside him, however, threw out his arms as if issuing challenge to the wind and laughed aloud. "Ah, what an invigorating breeze! A beautiful day for a brisk walk as we commune with Nature! Don't you agree, my friend?" He turned and flashed a ridiculously bright smile at Shibi. "Certainly it is no wonder that the heart of my precious student has blossomed in this spring weather, such a season of beauty!"

_Butterfly_, Shibi thought, _did you ever picture such a man connected to us? _Then he chuckled to himself softly. Aika probably had, or at the least, would have enjoyed the idea when she found out. His wife would have seen someone like Maito Gai as an 'invigorating breeze' himself, though she only would have used those words in jest. "It is midsummer," he said aloud, more to see how Gai would react than to correct him.

"Ah, to be young and in love!" Gai continued on rapturously. Shibi was a little startled to see that actual tears were streaming from the jounin's eyes. He had little experience with the other shinobi, but he knew a great deal of his reputation as both a powerful fighter and a very…passionate man. Shibi wondered how much of that passion was real and how much was a clever smokescreen. After all, it made him appear somewhat foolish, oblivious, and predictable, and yet no shinobi who was truly any of these things could have survived as long as Gai. That _had _to be some form of camouflage, or at the very least a coping mechanism for the darker parts, the deeper cynicism and despair of shinobi life.

"It warms my heart," Gai was now practically singing, eyes still wet. "The most beautiful part of any young love is the wonder and joy it bestows on all around it. Just thinking of Tenten's tender heart beating in tune with the man she loves makes me want to do one hundred body lifts!" He sprang into an alarming pose, teeth gleaming. "And of course it must be so for you as well, friend Aburame, when you see your son floating in the starry skies of love!" he boomed cheerfully. "Shall we perhaps continue this conversation as we lift?"

Shibi took a moment to appreciate the thought of the look on Shino's face were he ever to hear a phrase like 'floating in the starry skies of love' applied to himself. Then he sped up his steps slightly, forcing Gai to drop his pose and catch up. After all, they had business to discuss. "They are well matched," he began as soon as Gai was alongside again. "And I believe both to be strongly invested in each other."

"Oh, my sweet, gentle Tenten!" Gai bawled happily. "I have never before seen her apply her heart so vigorously to anything as she has to Shino. And now that she has come around and admitted her tender, delicate feelings, they can achieve the bliss of marriage and perhaps, perhaps…" he trailed off, seemingly overcome with pure joy, and then burst out with a dramatic sob, "impart the Will of Fire to their own beautiful children!"

Shibi recalled a few of the occasions he had watched his son return from a sparring session with the sweet, gentle girl in question. He particularly recalled some of the nastier bruises or cuts, and the one time Shino had stubbornly tried to hide a limp for almost three hours before Shibi had asked Masuyo to heal him. He decided that Gai's definition of the words 'tender' and 'delicate' must be radically different from his own.

But under those thoughts, Shibi felt a surge of mild satisfaction. So Tenten's sensei, who was by all appearances the only strong parental-figure she had, approved of a marriage between her and Shibi's son. That simplified matters. It also gave him a pretty good idea of Gai's reaction to his next item of business.

"Not all are so warmed by the idea," he said. "There are some who would perhaps find the union less than pleasing, in part due to the unknown qualities of Tenten's blood."

There was a little pause, during which Shibi subtly sent a handful more kikkai from his sleeve onto a nearby streetlight. "Aburame Shibi," Gai said in different voice, and when Shibi glanced over at him, Gai's eyes were suddenly dry. "There is nothing whatsoever wrong with Tenten's blood, and I would challenge the man who said otherwise to support his claim against me on the battleground!" The last few words were practically a shout, booming down the street and causing a few heads to turn in their direction curiously.

Shibi cut in quickly to forestall a sudden death match. "I do not believe that there is," he said, though he ordered the kikkai on the lightposts to slip subtly into the trees on the other side of Gai. "However, since it is unknown whether her genetic makeup would mesh well with that of our clan, there will be those who oppose her introduction into it."

"I see," Gai said, in a much quieter voice. "And since she is a Konoha shinobi of some rank, her medical records are not immediately available to you unless her family specifically grants permission." He stopped walking and braced his hands on his hips, a stern expression on his face. "I apologize, my friend, if you believed I was in any position to aid you in this matter," he said gravely. "But as Tenten is indeed the last surviving member of her family, she alone can grant you that permission."

Shibi turned and looked at the other man closely. It was not entirely true, of course, that Gai had no power concerning Tenten's medical records, or on any of her files in the Hokage's office for that matter. As an orphan, full responsibility for her legal affairs had been transferred to Gai when she became his student. In the event that she had died as a genin, for example, he would have been required to handle her funeral and execute her will. And Shibi also knew through…personal research…that Tenten had purposefully left Gai in that slot in her will, which meant that technically he was legally capable of releasing her medical records should he so desire.

Of course, a man like Maito Gai would view that as the highest breach of dishonor even were she not his 'precious student.' It was admirable, Shibi thought, to see such devotion to a child who was not even his own. "I would never ask such a thing of you," he said at last. "Nor of Tenten, either. Her blood should have no bearing whatsoever on the question of a union with Shino."

Gai relaxed, then moved into yet another complicated and somewhat silly pose. "Excellent! It is a marvelous thing to find such a compassionate and understanding man in Tenten's future family!" Suddenly, his face went dark as the thunderclouds Shibi's kikkai could feel rolling in from the west. "Although I would like to remind you, my friend," his said in a lower tone than Shibi had heard yet. "That her joyful entry into your family in no way excludes her from her own."

Shibi nodded. There was no need for Gai to elaborate further; his message was clear. Shibi considered the mission logs he had read a few days ago when preparing for this conversation. Maito Gai had a long, impressive list of achievements in his record, and an even more impressive list of powerful opponents he had left in small, bloody pieces when he felt the situation called for it. In a fair fight, Shibi mused, the brightly-colored shinobi could probably destroy him. Of course, he added mentally as the kikkai he had carefully scattered all through the trees around them both shifted to watch Gai closer, Shibi hadn't allowed himself to be caught in a fair fight since he was a genin. But still.

"I personally would see her addition as an honor," Shibi told him, and then watched with some amusement as Gai's eyes welled back up instantly.

"Wonderful!" Gai exclaimed in a watery voice that nonetheless carried all the way down the street and echoed back again. "Beautiful! I am so very glad to know that she will be welcomed and loved as she deserves! Your son is an amazing young man, to embark on this journey of joyful devotion with my precious Tenten!"

And he really meant that, Shibi realized, looking straight at Gai's streaming eyes. He had been wrong before – there was no smokescreen, no topical layer of happiness masking a deep cynicism or some such. Maito Gai honestly _believed_, down to his core, that not only was his student deserving of the kind of epic love one saw in movies or books, but also that Shibi's son was capable of giving it. And the thought made Gai truly, honestly happy, so much so that he had no fear of trumpeting it to the world at large. He was painting a world for the two young lovers full of real joys and wonders, and he put his whole being into the effort as if he could force it to be so by sheer willpower. And it was ridiculous, impractical, and somewhat foolish…and ever so slightly infectious.

_It says something about a man, Butterfly_, Shibi thought, _that he can make even _me _feel a little giddy about something like this. _

"I believe that they have a great potential for happiness," he said at length.

"And their beautiful children will have all the joys of a glowing youth among those who love and cherish them regardless of their bloodline abilities," Gai agreed firmly. "Yosh! I swear on my life that I will protect their future children's right to beauty and happiness to my dying breath!" He made a fist and stuck it rigorously in the air, eyes burning madly with the fires of passion.

"And with regards to any potential opposition…" Shibi began, raising a meaningful eyebrow at Gai.

"I trust that you and I, as vanguards of the beauty of their young, pure love, can find a cheerful, polite way to reason with those few, misguided minds who are gravely mistaken on the subject!" Gai grinned at him with a few too many teeth to be completely benign.

Shibi watched Gai shadow box a few drifting leaves - shouting happily about the strength and vigor the joys of his student's young love granted them all - and thought about patterns. His maternal grandfather had been a torturer. His father-in-law was a terror with a tea cup. And now Shino apparently had a spandex-wearing, teeth-gleaming, bright green warrior with great strength and little volume control. If his family did indeed trend to increasingly unusual father-in-laws, Shibi felt a small pang of sympathy for his future grandson.

Grandson. Now there was an intriguing and inexplicably pleasing thought. Shibi caught one of the shreds of the leaves that Gai had been boxing and examined it thoughtfully. Well, he was not getting any younger, and Shino was a full-grown man now, in a strong relationship with a lovely young woman. What else did the boy need, besides perhaps a little prompting from older, wiser heads?

Grandchildren, he thought.

Hm.


	23. United Front

Notes: This chapter took forever because I wasn't sure how I wanted the story to go - this is what happens when you write in too many potential plotpoints and then can't decide which ones to make important. Thanks to Rel for helping me decide which path to take! This chapter is un-beta'd, but I realized that if I sat on it any longer, it would _never_ get posted. So I hope there's not too many grammar/spelling mistakes in there. I wanted to write a chapter that showed a few more of the natural obstacles that Shino and Tenten would face in a relationship, and how they might resolve them. Plus, I threw a little bit of Shibi in at the end, just for fun.

Goals: Illustrate Shino and Tenten's potential problems, and how they would go about solving them, without getting bogged down in utter cliche. Illustrate some more of Shino's character, thought processes, and philosophies.

Warnings: I always have more trouble writing in Shino's voice than Tenten's, so might not flow as smoothly as other chapters. Some complicated stuff concerning Shino's family structure. Most of it references things from Chapter Seven. Some cussing.

**

* * *

Chapter 21**

**United Front**

"The center foundation was the strongest part of the bridge," Tenten told him matter-of-factly. "And the most difficult to repair. Of course that's the first thing the Flint province blew up."

Shino nodded. "Thus did the Flint army destroy the only practical invasion path into their mountain-based city."

"What I don't get," Tenten continued with a frown, "is why the Mica invading force didn't just wait them out. I mean, there was no way the whole city was going to support itself for too long, not holed up in their mountain in winter with only a few small resupply paths open. Why did Mica insist on attacking anyway?"

Shino's kikkai hummed quietly in his chest, warning him that someone new was approaching the intersection of the cross-street that he and Tenten were nearing. Quickly, he scanned the chakra scent, relaxing as he realized it was not another Aburame. He did not desire another…confrontation. Not with Tenten beside him, anyway. Tenten was still looking at him expectantly, waiting for his response. Shino shrugged. "Pride," he said at last. "Flint province destroyed the bridge to stop the influx of refugees from Mica. If Mica allowed them to get away with that, then they were tacitly admitting that there were refugees to stop."

"Ah," Tenten rolled her eyes. "And since Mica province refused to acknowledge that their government had screwed up and their people were starving to death, they couldn't let someone else announce to the world just how weak their grip was at the moment."

"They needed a show of strength," Shino agreed, nodding once to acknowledge the newcomer. Hinata smiled softly in response as Tenten flashed a welcoming grin. "Doubtless they were only trying to make a flashy display, but they miscalculated the amount of explosives they would need. Thus Mica started the avalanche, and slaughtered almost the entire city."

Hinata winced. "Um, w-what?" She asked in a quiet, albeit alarmed, tone.

Tenten waved a hand at her placating. "Oh, we're talking about one of the old civil wars in the Stone Country, that one about ten years ago when Flint City was destroyed. I thought it was a natural event, you know, like noise from the siege had caused the avalanche. But I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention in history class." She jerked a thumb at Shino and smiled jokingly. "But Aburame-sensei here was setting me straight."

"Oh," Hinata nodded, smiling back uncertainly. "Um, good."

"Seems to me that if the Mica province governor hadn't been so damned set against admitting that they'd mismanaged their food resources, the whole thing could have been avoided," Tenten rolled her eyes. "Hells, Flint City probably would have provided them with emergency supplies or something. They could have been working together to save all those lives. It's amazing what damage a little too much pride can do."

Hinata nodded gravely, but Shino said nothing. He recognized the tone of impatience that had crept into Tenten's voice. She could forgive a lot of things, he had found, but deliberate idiocy frustrated her.

"So what's up?" Tenten asked Hinata, shrugging off her irritation at Mica's incompetent former leadership. She grinned slyly and nudged Hinata's arm. "Are you in on the big secret?"

"Oh, um, I just…" Hinata jumped a little at Tenten's question, flicking her eyes to Shino's face with a guilty expression. "I knew you'd be coming here and I was just, um, just going to meet up and say something to Shino. Hello, I mean. And to you, of course!" She added earnestly, as if worried she'd offended Tenten.

Tenten laughed. It was a talent of hers, Shino noted, that she could laugh at someone without cruelty or offense. She merely sounded pleased. "Well, hello to you too," she said happily. "So you know where we're going then? Shino's pretending like we're just out for a walk, but I know when I'm being lead around." She pointed at Shino, then leaned towards Hinata and said in a loud mock-whisper, "He thinks he's sneaky."

Shino stopped himself in mid-flinch. From the way Hinata's eyes flicked back to Shino's face, this time without any obvious indication of her thoughts, he knew that she had seen the miniscule gesture anyway. Tenten, however, was too distracted by the sight before them as they came around the final corner.

"Oh, _hey_," she exclaimed. "Is that a new _forge_?" She turned to glare at Shino. "There's a new forge in Konoha and _I_ didn't know about it?"

"How is that possible? Simple. You were on a mission when the old shop was purchased," Shino replied. "You missed the initial gossip, and by the time you returned, everyone assumed everyone else already knew about it, and did not mention it."

Tenten wasn't listening, however. She had frozen in place, staring at the name engraved by the front door to the shop. "Shino," she said in a strangled voice. "Is it just me, or does that sign say 'Taneda'?"

"Taneda Jiro," Hinata told her in a soft, almost soothing tone. "The Black Flash Cannon's nephew. He applied for residence in Konoha shortly after Masaru was, um…" Hinata sighed, "terminated."

"He was one of the Taneda at Taiji Village," Tenten said in a flat, emotionless tone.

"But not one of the individuals who destroyed it," Shino reminded her, watching her reaction carefully. She was unsettled, he could tell by the odd way she went still. Tenten was a perpetual fidget, twirling blades or fingering scrolls a sign of absent-minded relaxation. When she held herself completely still, it meant she was upset or preparing to attack. Quickly, Shino ordered a kikkai to land on her belt while she was distracted. If she took off, he wanted to be able to track her.

"Taneda Jiro has promised to give up being shinobi," Hinata added after a moment of silence. "And he knows he's under surveillance for awhile, to make sure he's not up to anything. But the original offer to his clan to join Konoha was never revoked," Hinata smiled a little, nervously. "Officially, I mean. The Hokage never got the final version of the revocation, so she never signed it. Father says the paperwork is always the last, um, d-_damn_ thing to get done."

Another moment of silence, during which Hinata looked more and more uncomfortable and worried. Shino, however, waited calmly. Tenten refused to discuss the Masaru incident with him, and for awhile he had attributed this to her fury when he'd nearly died in that conflict. Then he had discovered that she refused to talk about it to anyone, her team included. That meant something was wrong, that she felt some strong negative emotion over the incident. His most likely theory was that she felt guilty for the misunderstanding about the Taneda clan. Had she not killed the heir to that clan, justified or no, the Taneda would likely have come straight to Konoha with their information about Masaru's tyranny. Potentially, the deaths of those in Taiji village and the other targeted towns could have been prevented.

But then again, maybe not. It didn't matter, of course; and there was no way Tenten could have known nor behaved any differently in the circumstances. But she clearly wasn't seeing it that way. And when she turned to glare at him, this time without a hint of humor in her eyes, he knew she had picked up on his plan. He was forcing her to face something she preferred to avoid. "Hinata," Tenten said, though she didn't look away from Shino. "You've got to learn to cuss without stuttering."

Hinata blushed a little, but stayed silent. Tenten kept her eyes locked on Shino, and he returned the stare, saying nothing. There were no words he could have said to make her any less upset. The silence stretched on again, and Shino knew from experience that Hinata was suppressing her own natural urge to fidget in discomfort.

Eventually, Tenten settled on her heels and folded her arms, still angry but willing to listen. "So he's a smith," she said. Another, shorter pause, and then she tilted her head at Shino. "Why?"

Hinata blinked, clearly confused. She probably thought Tenten was asking why the Taneda was a smith, a pointless question. She did not understand, as Tenten did, that Shino had deliberately brought Tenten here, despite knowing how upset it would make her. Such an action would never have occurred to someone as kind and respectful as Hinata. If Tenten wished to ignore something unpleasant, then Hinata would politely never mention it in her hearing again.

Shino, however, was not sweet-natured Hinata. Had it been Kiba or Hinata who were hurt in some similar manner, he would have been just as quick to force the issue, although in Kiba's case he would not have been so subtle about it. Shino pushed his hands deeper into his pockets and mentally checked that the female kikkai on Tenten's belt was still there. "Even minor wounds can scar," he said carefully, "if not treated properly."

_Let her understand_, he thought, watching her impassive face.

Tenten unfolded her arms slowly, stiffly. "Okay," she said after a moment. "Okay."

Hinata's shoulders sagged slightly in relief, and she offered Tenten a timid smile. Tenten managed a half-smile in return, then seemed to brace herself. "Well, let's go see what they've got."

Inside, the new smith looked up sharply when they entered, and he and Tenten locked eyes for a long, tense moment. And then, carefully, the sharp-featured man nodded to her. Just as carefully, she nodded back. The other customers in the shop relaxed from the tension they had not understood, flashing puzzled looks between themselves until, shrugging, they got on with their business. Tenten looked at Shino out of the corner of her eye, then suddenly she was all business herself, turning to scan the racks of blades against the nearest wall.

"Not bad," she muttered, moving slowly down the displays. Her face brightened considerably when she found a large sickle hanging by a row of spiked maces. "Twice-forged Hearth province steel!" She exclaimed. "Oh, that's some _nice _gradient work."

Shino settled back on his heels, knowing that she would be occupied for some time yet. Beside him, Hinata tapped her fingers together gently in an old nervous habit. With anyone else, Shino would have simply waited until the uncomfortable silence forced them to blurt out their intentions. But Hinata had been his friend too long to deserve that from him. "What did you wish to tell me?" he asked.

She glanced from him to Tenten, who was now speaking to Taneda Jiro's assistant about a vicious-looking spear-head with a huge smile on her face. Then Hinata looked back up at Shino and said seriously, "Have you told her yet, Shino?"

Shino's kikkai shivered and hummed in his chest for a moment, reacting to the spike in his emotions. Quickly, he suppressed their jittery reaction, glad for the distraction. Knowing his preference for clarity, Hinata leaned in a little closer and added in a low voice, "I meant about the Request Form your family sent in."

Shino's lips pressed together in anger, and once again he had to take a moment to force the kikkai to calm down before they began to crawl around the exposed parts of his skin in agitation. The other patrons of the forge – civilians or lower-ranked shinobi, all - might not notice right away, but Tenten was a jounin kunoichi, and particularly sensitive to him. Her own nerves were likely already on edge in this place; the last thing she needed was to pick up on any distress from him.

But oh, it was difficult to suppress the surge of anger he felt whenever he thought about –

"Shino," Hinata murmured, and Shino instantly ordered his kikkai to stop buzzing. Only Hinata was close enough to hear, but in another second or two, it would have been loud enough to alarm Tenten. And seeing as she was slowly working her way towards Taneda Jiro himself, a determined if tense expression on her face and a deadly-looking fuuma shuriken in her hand, that would have been poorly timed indeed.

"You haven't told her," Hinata said, a curious mix of understanding and mild reproof in her tone. Slowly, Shino nodded, and realized with mild embarrassment that he had hunched his shoulders up slightly, as if to protect himself from her scrutiny. Hyuuga Hinata occasionally had a very penetrating gaze even when her Byakugen was not active.

"It isn't my place," she continued softly, both of them watching as Tenten and Taneda Jiro stood face to face and discussed the fuuma shuriken with all the cautious gravity of warring governors meeting on neutral ground to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire. "But Shino, you should tell her. You know she'll find out anyway. And if she finds out you knew about it, she'll feel betrayed by someone she loves." Hinata sighed and looked down at her feet, her voice turning sad. "And that's the worst feeling in the world."

"She does not need to know," Shino replied. "Why is that? My father returns tonight, and I will ask him to negate it immediately. If he does so, it will be destroyed before it ever reaches the Hokage. She will never need to know." He repeated the last firmly, as if by saying it would make it so. A part of him knew he was being ridiculous, that Hinata only spoke truth and sense, but a good part of him did not care. Knowing what his clan had done would anger Tenten. Worse, it would hurt her. But if everything went well tonight - and there was no reason it should not – then Shino could have the whole thing resolved by morning. He could handle the stupid, petty little trap Hiroto had set for him without any harm done to himself or Tenten.

"Shino," Hinata sighed, and again he heard the understanding and the admonishment mixed gently into her tone. If she used that tone on the Hyuuga clan leaders, he thought irrelevantly, she'd have been acknowledged as heir much sooner. His teammate turned to face him, putting a hand lightly on his arm for a brief moment. "It's amazing what damage a little misplaced pride can do," she said.

Shino opened his mouth, but Tenten's voice cut him off. She was exclaiming over some special blade that Taneda Jiro had pulled from under the counter, her face enraptured as he handed it to her for inspection. Shino didn't hear the words, but he could see from the animated way she and Taneda spoke that they had found common ground, something they could both agree was too wonderful to sully with personal mistrust or wariness.

Hinata patted his arm once more, lightly, and then was gone before he could respond, slipping out the door of the forge with a smile and a wave goodbye to Tenten.

Shino watched Tenten leaning on the counter, examining the special blade with a careful eye and talking happily to Taneda Jiro. A part of Shino felt some small satisfaction at the scene, but most of his mind was too wrapped up in Hinata's words.

Was it pride, he asked himself, or prudence, to wish to resolve the issues with his family without getting Tenten involved? The situation did involve her directly, and Hinata had made a sound point about Tenten's feelings should she ever learn…on the other hand, if she never learned of it, as he intended, then he might well be avoiding a very damaging situation between them. He was good at predicting people's reactions to certain events - more than good, he was _known_ for it. But sometimes Tenten, more than anyone else, often surprised him. If he told her, she might understand, but she might…not.

Pride, he thought, or prudence?

Across the forge, Taneda Jiro's face had suddenly gone serious. Tenten had her back to Shino now, but he saw her shoulder's stiffen, her hands tighten on the hilt of the blade on the counter. Shino checked his kikkai scattered in a defensive pattern around the shop, concentrated around Tenten and himself.

Tenten's head partially blocked Shino's view of Taneda's face, but he could lip-read enough to catch 'cousin,' 'foolish arrogance,' and 'innocent bystanders.'

When the smith's mouth stopped moving, Tenten's shoulders relaxed slightly, and she bowed her head. Whatever she said in reply, it made Taneda's eyes widen and his mouth drop open slightly; he hadn't expected it. Then he cleared his expression and bowed back solemnly. Tenten's body relaxed, and Shino put his hands back in his pockets.

She turned, the special blade in her hands, and her face lit up as she met his eyes. "It's pure folded Amaranth Steel!" She practically shouted with joy as she came back up to him. "Good forge work, great hilt-joining, and Taneda gave it to me for practically _nothing_." She looked back at the blade almost lovingly. "He wants to start up a solid customer base, and he knows I'm an expert." She said the words matter of factly; and it was true, many shinobi took advice from Tenten on where and what to buy when it came time to restock their weapons' pouches. "So I guess he's trying to get on my good side. Not that I needed the blade," she went on as they exited the forge and walked down the street, Tenten admiring the blade in the afternoon sunlight. "I saw the quality in his work on the shelves. This dirk is a real beauty, though."

Tenten sighed happily, then stowed the blade in one of her smaller scrolls. "He apologized for his cousin," she told Shino, the smile leaving her face. "I apologized too. I don't think he expected that."

She'd smiled at him so brightly, Shino thought. There had been a great deal of trust in that smile.

If he told her, that trust might shatter. If he did not, and she somehow found out anyway, it definitely would.

Risk versus reward, he thought. Does she need to know? I can handle it without her, it can be over and done and forgotten by tonight.

But she is a grown woman and a kunoichi, and it _does_ involve her in a very personal way. She…she _should_ know. _And if she must know,_ he told himself sternly, _then the best chance I can give our relationship is to tell her myself. That is only rational fact._

"Okay, I admit it," Tenten's voice cut into his thoughts, startling him as he realized just how long they had been walking in silence. "I've been stupid about the Taneda. I still sort of feel bad about it all, but at least I'm not going to pretend that I don't anymore, okay?" Tenten stepped closer, slipping her arm around Shino's and smiling up at him. "Forgive me for being pig-headed?"

_If I lose her over your petty power games, _Shino thought, _I will make you pay dearly, Aburame Hiroto._

"I cannot grant you forgiveness," Shino said, forcing the words out through a strangely dry throat. Tenten's eyebrows lifted and her smile faded at the edges, but she kept her arm linked through his. She knew he was not finished yet, and was waiting to see what he was getting at. "My forgiveness implies that you have wronged me," he continued, "when in fact it is I…" he paused, organized his courage, and finally said, "It is I that has wronged you."

Tenten's smile faded completely, replaced by a puzzled frown. But still she did not pull away, and he saw only a little wariness in her eyes. So much trust, he thought. "Oh?" She said lightly.

"This morning," Shino explained, speaking slightly faster than usual as he struggled to get the words out before his good sense – no, call it what it really was: his selfish need to protect himself – could stop him. "This morning Hiroto - the head of the Sita sect, the second most powerful in the Aburame clan - filed a Request Form with the Hokage's office."

Tenten nodded encouragingly as he stopped again. _This is not me_, Shino thought irritably. _I do not hedge or fumble, nor do I deliberately avoid even harsh truths. But then,_ he added, looking at her calmly expectant face, _nor do I often have so much to lose. _

For the second time that day he thought, _please_ _let her understand._

"Hiroto requested that your medical and personal records be released to my clan," Shino said at last. "He claimed that it was their right to examine your…suitability. He did it to cause confusion and unrest among the clan, of course. He believes that you will be so angered by that demand that it would cause problems between us, and so weaken me. He also believes that you will likely be proven incompatible with the Aburame bloodline, which would turn several of the more traditional-minded clan members against any…strong relationship between us." He couldn't bring himself to say 'union,' not yet, and certainly not in this context. "Hiroto has always disliked that his branch remains second in the hierarchy, despite that in the last two generations it had grown to be just as large and powerful as my branch, the Hira sect. But Aburame are slow to change, and the Hira sect has been the leader since the beginning. We are the originators of the Aburame bloodline, and we are responsible for the breeding of the queen kikkai."

A moment of silence passed as they walked slowly down the forest path – wait, when had they entered the forest? Shino blinked and realized that they had passed through the gates into the forest around Konoha several minutes ago. So intent on explaining himself - and so much unnecessary explaining, too…was he a nervous talker after all? It seemed unlikely, except that for the last several minutes he had been practically lecturing her about the inner workings of his clan's politics when his original purpose had been merely to tell her of one small, stupid quarrel that may well drive her from him permanently…damn. He needed to straighten his thoughts and gather his wits before he did something truly stupid.

The silence dragged on between them again. Shino did not risk looking at Tenten directly, but through his kikkai he could see her staring blankly into the distance. For the first time in his life, Shino suddenly understood why people always seemed to _need _to fill the silence in his presence with unnecessary talk. He kept his mouth shut, however, and his hands curled tight inside his pockets. He tried not to be so hyper-aware of Tenten's arm still slung through his, but every slight pull as they walked made it feel like she was about to jerk away.

Finally, she opened her mouth to speak, still staring blankly into the distance.

"Huh."

Shino blinked. "What?" he said a little too gruffly, startled into a response.

Tenten looked up at him, face almost unnervingly calm. "I said, 'huh,'" she repeated. "As in, 'I see.' 'Oh.' 'Indeed.' 'Hmmm.'"

"I was going to speak to my father this evening," Shino replied after an awkward beat, fighting to keep his tone even and the confusion out of his voice. "He could order the Request negated. It would be destroyed, and nothing would come of it."

Tenten looked back out at the trees with the same calm, almost absent expression.

"Huh."

Shino stopped walking abruptly, pulling his hands from his pockets and forcing her to drop her arm. She turned to face him, and this time he saw a flash of something else under her calm eyes, but it was gone too fast for him to read it. "I hid this information from you," he said deliberately. "And were it not for…something Hinata said, I would potentially have hidden it from you indefinitely."

Tenten nodded. "Yeah, I figured that out awhile ago."

Shino simply stared at her. Finally, in exasperation, he said flatly, "Feel free to react."

Tenten matched his stare, although he thought for a moment that the corner of her mouth might have twitched, ever so briefly. "Give me a minute," she said. "I'm thinking about it."

Shino raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

Tenten's mouth twitched again, a definitely tug at the corner of her lips. "Don't look at me like that," she said, raising an eyebrow back at him in perfect mimicry. "You do this to me all the time."

"Then I wonder at your continued patience with me," Shino replied dryly, but the statement was just a little too true for comfort, and he mentally winced as he saw her register it.

"You realize that this Hiroto guy would probably figure on you keeping it secret from me, right?" She said.

Shino blinked again, and a stream of some of Kiba's best curses came unbidden to his mind. He _hadn't_ realized it, and he should have. He'd convinced himself so firmly that he could handle this situation without bothering Tenten…but of course someone who knew him well enough, someone like Hiroto, would expect such behavior from a man known for his taciturn ways and tendency to keep his thoughts to himself. Hiroto probably had someone standing by to tell Tenten all about the Request Form. Perhaps one of the clerks in the Hokage's office had been paid to call her, or some friend of Tenten's would be told, and they would rush to tell her. Tenten's knowledge of the Form would have caused the maximum about of damage between them, and so Hiroto would have ensured that Tenten knew about it.

Pride, Shino thought with a measure of self-disgust.

Tenten stepped closer, reaching to take his sunglasses. Shino let her, watching the way her mouth hardened in a determined line as she pulled the dark lenses from his face. He blinked in the sunlight, feeling exposed and irritated.

"You also realize that - had I found out from anyone but you - I'd be pretty pissed, don't you?"

Shino nodded slowly, matching her stare as calmly as he could.

"Good. Because otherwise I'd have to hit you right now. Hard." She tucked the sunglasses into his coat pocket and rested her hands on his shoulders, stepping so close now that her body brushed against his. But her face stayed calm, almost business-like.

"I don't like that your first reaction was to hide it from me," she told him. "And I don't like this Request Form thing at all, of course. But I'm really glad you told me, even if it took a little prodding from Hinata. Let me guess, she's accepted that temporary training job in the Hokage's office to be a better leader, right? So she probably saw the Request Form go through and came out to tell you not to be a self-righteous dumbass."

Shino nodded, wanting to wrap his fingers around her waist and pull her closer but sensing that she wasn't done yet.

Tenten nodded back at him thoughtfully. "Thought so." She tightened her grip on his shoulders, stood up on her tiptoes, and set her mouth against his ear. "I'm going to be there tonight when you talk to your father."

Shino didn't nod this time, but he did turn his head slightly towards her, brushing his cheek against hers. "If you wish," he said quietly.

"Damn straight I wish," she settled back abruptly, a mock-glare on her face again.

Shino took a slow, deep breath and let the tension go. Tenten grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, and this time he reached up and pulled her in tightly. "I forgive you for being pig-headed," she laughed, leaning up to kiss him. "But Shino," she murmured against his lips, "do it again and I'll break your nose."

Shino smiled. "Huh."

**

"Ah. I had been expecting you, son. But I will admit, I was not expecting _you_, miss."

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Particularly from my son, I am sure."

"Father, please. We have something to discuss."

"Isn't he cute when he blushes?"

"_Father."_

"You know, he kind of is."

**


	24. Taste and Touch

_Notes_: I loved writing this chapter, so even if it turns out a failure, I won't care. I reference the Aburame clan structure that I set up in chapter 7, but if you need a quick refresher: the Aburame clan is divided into 5 smaller sects. Shino's sect is the largest and thus, in charge. Hiroto is head of the Sita sect. 'Kao' is the term for the head of the Aburame, currently Shibi. Also, it might be slightly obvious that I love tea and chess.

_Goals_: I tried two experiments: the first is the manner in which Hiroto is defeated: a battle without a battle, even a verbal one. Second, I wanted to write a physically romantic scene in which there is _barely any physical contact_. Can it be done? Undoubtedly. Did I do it here? …maybe. But man, was it fun to try.

_Warnings_: Perplexing plot. Convoluted conversation. Imminent intimacy.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

**Taste and Touch**

Tenten rubbed her palms against her skirt and looked up at Shino. "Are you ready for this?"

Shino turned his face slightly in her direction, sweeping her with The Exam, that special look where he seemed to mentally dissect her. Tenten wondered idly what he saw when he did that. Right now, he probably saw a jittery bundle of nerves in a blue cheongsam (with black leggings, of course – you never knew when the enemy might attack and it wouldn't do to be wearing only a thin silk skirt), trying desperately to look cool and careless as the evening breeze.

Fortunately, Shino was intelligent enough to know what Tenten was actually asking. "You will be fine," he told her firmly. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw his hand flicker, as if he'd raised it towards her and then dropped it again quickly. He'd been doing that a lot lately – ever since the day she'd pushed away and asked him what he wanted of her. He'd kissed her since then, and - well, a few other things - but he never intentionally touched her unless she specifically invited it. That had been a good thing at first, or at least she'd decided to think of it as a good thing. He was giving her space, deliberately surrendering control of their physical relationship to her. And that was good, really great that he cared enough to be careful and respect her wishes and stuff…

But damn it would be nice if he'd hug her right now. Or something. Anything.

Well, no time to waste on wishes, she thought bracingly, and reached out for the door. Time to carry out Mission: Intimidate. The door swung open, and Tenten stepped through into the enormous, silent dining room. A dozen hooded faces turned towards her.

They were gathered around a large, rectangular table, with Shino's father seated at the far end. The rest of the Aburame leaders, all the heads and second-in-commands of the five sects of the Aburame clan were ranged out around the table. Tenten's eyes sought the thin man sitting two spaces down on the right, with a black and blue scarf around his neck and face. Shino had told her that this would be Aburame Hiroto, her current enemy. The oily-looking man sitting to his immediate right must be Gorou, Hiroto's second in the Sita sect of the clan. Tenten marked them in her mind as she would an enemy on a mission in unknown territory, without allowing her eyes to linger on either of them or give any other sign of recognition. Shino showed her to the two empty chairs to Shibi's left. As she sat, a pair of familiar, chipped sunglasses caught her eye, and she smiled in startled recognition. She hadn't expected Aburame Katsu, Shino's grandfather, to be present. Katsu nodded to her pleasantly, and she shot a look at Shino in silent admonition for not telling her. Not that an unexpected ally was unpleasant, but both Shino and his father should have told her if Katsu was going to be part of the plan.

"Welcome, Tenten," Shibi's voice broke the silence of the dining room and nearly startled Tenten into jumping. She restrained herself at the last second, and bowed her head politely. Shino took the seat on the other side of Tenten, sitting directly across from Hiroto. Neither man made any attempt to acknowledge each other, but she thought she saw Gorou's lips twitch in a tiny smirk. His face turned a fraction in her direction, but Tenten was master of Aburame Body Language enough to know that he was staring at her. Tenten smiled at him sweetly, enjoying the way he seemed to freeze in surprise and then look hastily away. _That's what you get_ _for underestimating me_, she thought, _and boy, you ain't seen nothing yet. _

"I am pleased you joined us this evening, Grandson," Katsu said, as Shibi gestured to a few young Aburame genin standing near the doors, poised to act as servers for the meeting.

"Yes, it's wonderful that the Honorable Heir has begun taking up a few responsibilities within the clan, now that he is getting older," Hiroto agreed jovially from Katsu's right. "I hope to see him at many more of these meetings, Kao." His voice was pleasant and kind, and Tenten hated it on the spot. Condescending jerk, making it sound like Shino was some irresponsible kid who had finally been dragged to his duty.

Shibi nodded gravely in response, as if he had not heard the implied insult to his son. "I am also pleased, Hiroto, that he was not yet again held away by another long and complex mission for the village."

_Score!_ Tenten thought happily as a genin leaned around her carefully and poured her a cup of sweet-smelling tea. Tenten eyeballed the cup discreetly. It didn't look like much of a secret weapon. But Shibi had been adamant about it, when she and Shino had come to his office to discuss Hiroto's Request Form for her medical and mission records. "Trust me," he had said quietly after listening to their story. "With one cup of tea, we will defeat Hiroto's scheme utterly." Then he'd invited her to come to the Clan Leaders' meeting the next night, and Shino had suddenly stood, thanked his father, and led Tenten back out into the street. When she'd pressed him about it, he'd only shrugged and said he had no clear idea of what his father was planning.

"But you have a hunch, right?" She'd pestered. He'd merely smiled.

Tenten eyed the tea again, taking a moment to admire the beautiful design on the graceful tea cup. Maybe it was drugged?

Across from her, Katsu picked up his own cup carefully and raised it halfway to his lips. As if this were a signal, the other Aburame also reached for their cups, except for Shino and Shibi.

A moment before Katsu's cup reached his mouth, Shibi said, "Honored Father-in-law."

Katsu lowered his cup slightly. If Tenten had not been on the lookout for it, she might have missed the way every other cup also lowered. _Ah, so it's one of those unspoken rules: no one drinks until the big man does. Right._ The problem was, how was Hiroto going to drink if Katsu wouldn't? Tenten's leg jittered impatiently under the table. Come on, let him drink the Secret Weapon already!

A warm hand brushed her knee, and Tenten shot a glance under her eyelashes at Shino's impassive face. _Right, right, patience is a virtue_, she thought, mentally making a face at him. _And you didn't have to draw back so fast_, she added quickly. Shino, of course, gave no response, and Tenten hastily shifted attention back to the conversation around her.

"I understand that you have met Tenten before," Shibi was saying.

Katsu nodded, and gestured with the tea cup at her. "A most pleasant young woman," he agreed. He lifted the tea cup, but once again, Shibi interrupted him before he could sip from it. The other cups around the table lowered as well. Tenten glanced at Hiroto and saw what might have been the edges of a scowl hovering around the man's narrow lips.

"You were also present at the arena when she battled Taneda Shun, were you not, Honored Father-In-Law?"

Katsu raised one steel-gray eyebrow for a moment, and then his face cleared and he nodded again. "An impressive performance."

The approval in his tone was evident, even to Tenten. She blushed a little at the praise, and offered Katsu another smile. He raised his cup to sip. This time, only about half of the other cups lifted as well; the rest kept theirs on the table. Hiroto, however, stubbornly raised his cup too.

"Were you not sitting next to the Sita Leader?" Shibi asked, his voice casual.

Katsu lowered his cup. So did the others, Tenten noted with a mental groan - but Hiroto's dropped a fraction of a second slower than the rest. There was definitely an annoyed scowl lurking on his face, not as well hidden as she had come to expect from an Aburame. Wait...was this the plan? What, were they trying to _annoy_ Hiroto to death or something? Tenten bumped Shino's leg with hers slightly to get his attention. He reached a hand over to her knee again in response, and she grabbed it under the table and tapped a quick short-code message into his palm. It was a mission-code, a quick way to communicate with a partner when under surveillance. _What's happening? _she asked.

Shino simply squeezed her hand reassuringly. She resisted the urge to crush his fingers in annoyance. Why wouldn't he just _tell _her what was going on? Shino started to pull his hand away again, but this time Tenten clamped down, tight enough to let him know that he wasn't going anywhere. He paused, and then recurled his fingers lightly around hers in acceptance.

_Trust me, _his thumb tapped out against her hand.

Hmph. Tenten smiled at the table in general and tried her hardest to look politely oblivious.

"I was indeed seated next to him," Katsu replied. He raised his cup again, but this time stopped a few centimeters from his face, seemed to consider for a moment, and then lowered it on his own without interruption from Shibi. By now, almost none of the other Aburame at the table were bothering to lift their cups. Hiroto, however, was lowering his with more and more reluctance.

"Have you met Tenten, Hiroto?" Katsu asked.

"I have not had the pleasure, Honored Elder," Hiroto responded, his pleasant tone clashing a little with the sour look on his face. "I understand she is an adequate jounin."

The silence around Tenten suddenly became a little bit quieter. Tenten blinked, aware that Hiroto had just said something wrong but not entirely sure what that was.

"Hm," Katsu murmured after a tense second, and lifted his cup to drink. This time Hiroto raised his a little more hastily than was completely necessary, so when Katsu abruptly lowered his cup without drinking, Hiroto nearly spilled a few drops when he also jarred to a halt. "I have just realized," Katsu announced, "that I have yet to properly thank you, Tenten."

She blinked again, feeling even more bewildered than ever. "Thank me? For what?"

"I have heard how you boldly went behind enemy lines to retrieve my grandson in the conflict with Masaru," Katsu said.

Shino's hand tightened slightly in Tenten's, and she rubbed a finger across his knuckles soothingly. "It's okay, I don't want thanks. I mean, it's not necessary." She stumbled, wincing a bit at how inelegant and clumsy her words sounded among all these subtle shinobi. Some sort of quiet struggle was happening here, she could feel it with every well-trained shinobi instinct she had – she just couldn't see the blood, and she certainly couldn't join in. The best option, she decided, was to say as little as possible.

Katsu raised his cup again. This time Hiroto watched him sharply, his own cup poised in his hand. Katsu paused -

And lowered his cup.

_If I didn't know any better_, Tenten thought with a private grin, _I'd think Hiroto just grunted in frustration._

"Grandson," Katsu addressed Shino this time. "I am glad you have brought such a remarkable person into our clan's acquaintance."

"As am I, Honored Grandfather," Shino replied, and this time when his fingers tightened on Tenten's hand, she blushed.

At the same time, the little analytical voice in the back of her mind that was usually on high alert during missions said, _nicely done_. Katsu had, with only a few words, made it extremely clear to the clan leaders present that he not only approved of Tenten as an individual, but in connection to the Aburame as well. What he'd really been saying was, 'I'm glad you've brought her into our _clan_.'

She didn't blush again, but it was a near thing. Instead, she smiled as sincerely as she could at Katsu in thanks. The old man toasted her with his still full cup, and raised it towards his lips.

And then lowered it. This time Hiroto set his cup back down on the table with a sharp _clink_, and the tiny noise seemed to echo around the room in the oddest way. The small, irrelevant sound had the attention of every shinobi at the table. _They're watching him_, Tenten realized. All of the clan leaders probably knew about Hiroto's Request Form, and by now they must have figured out that Katsu was deliberately annoying Hiroto while simultaneously complimenting Tenten. Between Shibi reminding everyone about her accomplishments, and Katsu remarking on her clear attachment to Shino…well, it was looking pretty good for the Home Team, from Tenten's angle. And Hiroto's Request Form was starting to look a little petty and mean-spirited from every angle.

And no one's even _mentioned_ it, Tenten realized with awe. Not one single reference had been made to the outrageous breach of courtesy. And somehow that made it all the more obviously the center of discussion. It was like the white elephant in the room, carefully ignored.

Katsu raised his cup. This time, no one else did. Hiroto simply stared at his with a bleak expression.

Katsu paused, and lowered his tea. Hiroto's fingers clenched tightly on the rim of his cup. "I would be most delighted," Katsu said across the table to Tenten, "if you would be present at our table again soon."

Tenten nodded. "Thank you, sir; that would be an honor."

Next to Katsu, Hiroto seemed to stifle a sigh. Tenten's smile stretched a little wider. She recognized that sound – Neji made it all the time whenever Gai or Lee (or both) insisted that he join them in some "excellent activity of youthful prowess and delight!" It rang with exasperated resignation; it was the sound of defeat.

"Wonderful," Katsu said, and took a sip of tea.

Then he lowered his cup.

"This tea," he said in a less pleased tone, "is cold."

A genin against the wall leaped forward, steaming tea pot outstretched.

* * *

"He used tea," Tenten said in an awed voice, "as a weapon."

"Yes," Shino agreed, reaching around her to open her apartment door. "It was very effective."

"It was _tea_," Tenten replied, kicking her shoes off and turning to face him, hands on her hips. "And your grandfather didn't even, I don't know, burn him with it or drug it or make it turn into daggers and stab him or _anything_."

Shino raised an eyebrow at her, but she waved it off. "It could happen." She walked across the room to her own small table, fiddling with the chess set absently. Shino slid his own boots off and came to stand beside her, looking out the window at the village lights. Tenten watched him from the corner of her eye for a moment, and then started to giggle.

He turned, and she shook her head. "_Tea,_" she muttered. "And I saw that greasy guy, Gorou, right? I saw him head straight towards the Hokage's office as soon as the dinner was over, too."

"It's likely they have already retracted the Request Form," Shino said. "This way was much better than my previous plan."

"Yeah, it probably wouldn't look so good to have your father rescue us from one of Hiroto's plots," Tenten agreed, picking up a white knight and twirling it in her fingers. She tossed it to Shino, who caught it one-handed and held it in his palm, examining it gravely. "This way nobody really looks weak except Hiroto, and he can still save face because no one will mention it."

"Meaning he will be less inclined to be my enemy in the future," Shino agreed. "He will resent this less than if he were more publicly embarrassed, but he will remember that he _was_ embarrassed."

"Very slick." Tenten darted out a hand and snatched the chess piece from Shino's fingers, deliberately trailing her fingertips against his palm for a brief second. Shino held himself very still before also dropping his hand. _Damn_, she thought, setting the knight back down and picking up a bishop.

"I have to admit though," she said, casually reaching up and balancing the bishop on Shino's shoulder, "I bet I missed about half of what really went on in there tonight." She brushed her palm lightly down his arm as she pulled her hand away.

Shino stared at her, face as impassive as ever but withdrawing his hands from his pockets slowly, a sure sign that he knew she was up to something. _Come on,_ she thought at him. _You're a smart guy, I know you can figure this out_.

"You probably missed less than you think," Shino told her, reaching up and plucking the bishop from his shoulder. Moving quicker than she expected, he reached out and tucked it in her pocket, sliding his hand against the curve of her hip for a precious second as he pulled away.

In her head, Tenten gave a big _yosh!_ She turned away nonchalantly, tugging the bishop free and putting it back on the board like it was no big deal. She fiddled with the pawns for a moment, considering her next move, then picked up a rook and rolled it through her fingers. "Did your grandfather know the plan?" She asked, darting smoothly around Shino and slipping the rook into his lowered hood. He shuddered, ever so slightly, as her fingers grazed the back of his neck. Tenten smiled at him and tilted her head in mild challenge. Shino ignored the piece in his hood and reached to pick up another, the black queen.

"I doubt it," he said. "But it was inevitable he would figure it out. Why is that? My father asked him very leading questions." Shino tossed the piece at her lightly. She caught it, disappointed that he hadn't touched her this time. Before she had even fully closed her fingers around the smooth black wood, Shino reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, tracing his fingertips down the curve of her neck all the way to her shoulder before pulling back. Tenten blinked in surprise, both at the contact and at the sudden slight weight on her shoulder. She reached up with her empty hand and found…the rook, balanced perfectly by her collar.

"Clever," she said wryly. He was quicker than she'd anticipated…unless he'd used the kikkai to get it from his hood while she was distracted by the queen? Huh. Clever indeed.

Tenten glanced at both chess pieces in her hand, and then at the chess board. Shino was standing directly between her and the board, leaning back against the table with his hands stuffed back in his pockets. She would have to lean around him (or brush up right against him) to reach it. He looked terribly attractive like that, his hood slung back and his outer jacket hanging open, his body language relaxed and casual. If she looked close enough at his lips (and boy, did she _intend_ to) she could see a little smile tugging at them. The straightforward, direct part of Tenten wanted to toss the chess pieces to the table and grab him, dragging him down and kissing him breathless. But she couldn't do that – it would only be her initiating the contact again, only reinforcing this strange habit he'd gotten into of never touching her without explicit invitation.

She needed to make the point that it was okay for him to touch her, that she no more wanted his deference than she did his dominance. They needed to be equals in this, as they were in everything else. She had to get _him_ to reach for _her_, this time. And she couldn't just tell him to, either.

Damn, this subtle stuff was hard.

Tenten stepped closer, just within arms' reach, and flicked the rook over Shino's shoulder. It arched over, and landed on the board behind him with a sharp wooden _smack! _Then she reached up and expertly balanced the queen in the crook of his left arm, leaning slightly against his side. This time, she let her fingers catch on his jacket, giving the material a gentle tug. Okay, that was probably not all that subtle, really, not in Shino-speak, but she compensated by stepping back out of reach and folding her arms. "I hear the new job roster is coming out next month," she said. "New genin teams and ANBU assignments."

"Are you anticipating any particular assignment?" Shino carefully untucked his hand from his pocket and caught the queen as it rolled down his arm. He set it upright in his palm, examining it carefully.

"Not anticipating, no," she answered. "I was just wondering - " She froze as Shino pushed himself away from the table and circled her, stepping behind her but holding the queen in front of her so that his arm encircled her waist. He kept his jacket just an inch away from her skin, however, just encircling her without touching. "Just wondering what big changes might come out of it," she gulped, blushing a bit at the slight wobble in her voice as she felt his breath ghost against her cheek from behind.

"Things will probably change," Shino murmured against her ear. She jumped, but he had already stepped back, leaving the chess piece...wait, where did it go? Tenten reached up and felt her throat, and tugged the wooden piece free from where he'd tucked it into her collar. "Why?" Shino said from a few feet away as Tenten spun around to face him. "Because Kiba has applied for a genin team, and it is likely he will get it."

"That should be interesting," Tenten muttered, following him. She tapped his chest with the queen, stepping in so close that it was difficult _not_ to press up against him. He looked down at her, and she could actually see him trying not to breathe too deeply, so that his chest wouldn't expand too far and touch her.

Time to change the rules a little, she decided. She reached down and grabbed his hand, sliding the queen into his palm. With the other hand, she reached up and yanked down the zipper of his black underjacket.

Shino's fingers closed on hers convulsively, trapping the chess piece in their hands as his underjacket fell open. Before he could react further, Tenten shoved both jackets back, until they only just hung on his shoulders and it would only take a slight shrug on his part to throw them off entirely.

Tenten smiled. "You know, I should have expected that you didn't wear a shirt under those jackets. It makes sense. Less obstacles for the kikkai."

"Hm."

Her right hand was still tangled up in his around the queen, but with her left she reached up and pulled away his shades. She was careful this time to touch only the shades, not brushing his skin in any way. "Hey Shino," she said after a moment, keeping her voice carefully neutral. "You know we're in this together, right?"

He tilted his face down towards her a little more. "Yes," he said after a moment. "I believe that has become apparent to me."

"Equals," Tenten said firmly, still not moving.

"Yes," Shino repeated softly. His mouth pulled into a smile, a genuine smile – but there was a sly edge to it that put Tenten instantly on full alert. "But it is also apparent to me," he told her in a much more confident tone, "that there is currently one aspect in which we are not equal."

She frowned. "Oh? What's that?"

"_I_ am half-naked," he said, letting go of her hand and shrugging.

Tenten laughed, and this time when she reached for him, she didn't pull back. "Right. Well, fair's fair."

**

"Stay with me."

"Yes."

**


	25. Responsibility

_Notes_: One of the OC's in this chapter is modeled after Joshua Norton I, Emperor of the United States, one of my favorite historical figures. Look him up – he's awesome. As for the chapter itself, I'm hoping I didn't get too obnoxious with the details, particularly the accents of the River Country people. I tried to go for a generic rural accent without getting all insulting and stereotypical. Also, I finally got a sailor into my stories. I've been trying to figure out how to do that for _ages_.

_Goals:_ To show Shino and Tenten's connection as a healthy, respectful but still realistic relationship. To write some interesting, non-stereotypical people with a distinctly different culture from Konoha, because not all places/people are the same. Also, to finally write Shino's POV the way I want it, without it sounding a bit emotionally flat and guarded (I have trouble writing Shino POV).

_Warnings:_ A couple swear words. A little blood. A crazy person or two.

* * *

**Chapter 24**

**Responsibility**

"If I were less of a good person," Tenten told Shino firmly, "I would have _gutted _that fat little toad."

Shino raised an eyebrow as she slumped irritably against the wall next to him, brushing the feathers from the nearby parade out of her bangs. "So the Councilor's secretary did not grant your request for entry."

"Oh, but _missy_, I just can't call th' Councilor from his duties _now_," Tenten fluted in a nasally whine, puffing her cheeks and mimicking the secretary's River Country accent. "He's much too busy _flouncing_ aroun' like a deranged _parrot_!" She waved a derisive hand towards the parade, in which all seven of the River Country's Councilors were standing on a float wearing ornate, feathery headdresses. Shino knew that each headdress represented one of the seven bird species in the River Country that were associated with the seven Virtues, and that a variety of other local beliefs and superstitions accompanied the traditional spring festival in this country. All the same, he had to admit that to outsider eyes, they were more than a little foolish.

But not as foolish as the endless maze of red tape and bureaucracy he and Tenten had endured since arriving in the River Country. It was a relatively simple mission: locate and secure a fugitive who had broken out of a Fire Country prison. So far they had tracked him through the forests and roads to the small, trade-oriented River Country, and then lost him in the capital city. Concerned that he would get onboard a trade ship and vanish before they could catch him, Shino had suggested they invoke the aid of the city officials, the seven Councilors who co-ruled the River Country.

Unfortunately, the official channels in this country were so choked with checkpoints, regulations, paperwork, and minor officials that so far neither Shino nor Tenten had been able to get near even one of the Vice-Councilors. Tenten had been making progress at last towards meeting the Fourth Councilor (who was indeed, Shino saw over the crowd, wearing a brightly colored parrot-feather headdress) until she'd run into the Councilor's secretary…and had apparently hit a large, obnoxious roadblock.

"So much for the legit way," Tenten muttered to Shino under the roar of the celebrating crowd. "I say we just bust in on their big Festival dinner tonight and demand they freeze all trade ships."

"I doubt that will agree to that," Shino replied in amusement.

"Maybe we could knock a few of their feathers off."

"Hardly likely to earn us friends."

"I'm all for holding the parrot hostage."

"The Councilors are probably not the best option after all," Shino watched the clouds of colorful feathers and confetti. "Why not? If this is how convoluted their system has become, then they are unlikely to be very effective at anything more practical than parades."

Tenten snorted, leaning her head against his shoulder and idly twirling a shimmering blue and green feather she plucked from the air. Shino closed his eyes and inhaled, both with his own nose and the kikkai's chakra-sense. Tenten's personal smell had long ago become one of his favorites, the myriad greens and blues surged and danced in a series of complex patterns, intermixed with the scent of newly cut grass and the sharp tang of steel. "So who, then," Tenten sighed in frustration against his arm, "in this whole entire city _is_ effective enough to help us?"

"That," said an authoritative voice near Shino's left elbow, "would be me."

The speaker was a tall, thin old woman with iron gray hair and a network of deep wrinkles on her sharp-featured face. She sat ramrod-straight on an old wooden crate, clad in a slightly musty but still neat blue gown with gold buttons. Both of her bony hands were folded on the handle of a polished wooden cane that she braced before her like a knight holding his sword at rest. She looked shabby but clean, neither wealthy nor destitute. A scrawny young girl stood behind her left shoulder, fiddling nervously with her lank brown hair.

The old woman swept Shino and Tenten with a stern look, then tilted her head at them imperiously. "Yer strangers t' my land," she stated. "An' if you sought help from that ridiculous Council, then yer ignorant of our ways."

Shino saw Tenten glance up at him, and he nodded slightly. The woman's hands were cracked with long exposure to salt water, and the kikkai could smell the mixed oils, greases, and various other chemicals associated with ships and docks. She was connected to the trading ships, and thus a potential source of information.

"We are strangers here, ma'am," Tenten said politely, stepping around Shino and bowing her head politely to the old lady. "And there are many things we don't know."

"Indeed," the old woman said graciously. "Then yer ignorance is justifiable an' forgivable," she said. Her manner of speaking was…peculiar, Shino thought. Her accent was undeniably River Country, with the slight inflections he'd heard in the poorer districts of the city. But there was a serene sort of confidence and even a hint of condescension in her speech and her attitude that made her seem much grander than a mere slum-dwelling grandma. The old woman looked at Tenten's face for a long moment. Then she turned her sharp gaze towards Shino, and even through his glasses he had the sensation that she was studying him. Shino resisted the kikkai's agitated urge to swarm, reacting to the mild threat of her silent confrontation.

"I," the old woman said, looking straight at Shino's eyes, "am Kyoko, Empress of th' River Country."

Ah, Shino thought, feeling oddly let down. That explained the odd, iron-hard sense of conviction the woman radiated. She was insane.

"I thought the River Country was a republic," Tenten replied, puzzled. "There hasn't been a monarch for generations."

"Yes, th' Council was formed some hundred years ago," the mad woman said calmly. "And look at where it led us. Crime an' poverty run rampant in our streets as bureaucratic fools parade themselves about like peacocks." She waved a hand in a remarkable imitation of Tenten's earlier dismissive gesture. "Several years ago, I realized that what our people needed wasn't more useless gestures an' silly festivals but someone who _took responsibility_." Her tone turned fierce on the last two words, as if she had repeated them so many times over the years they had become her personal mantra.

"And you were that someone," Shino guessed.

The Empress nodded regally. "It's a diff'cult an' thankless task, betimes," she said, and her face darkened for a moment, "like when th' Council tried to overthrow me an' placed me in jail. But th' public knows what it needs, and th' Councilors were forced to release me."

"Did they know you were royalty?" Shino asked, but he must not have masked his irritation well enough, because Tenten gave him a sharp jab with her elbow in disapproval.

The crazy woman merely sniffed. "I admit I haven't yet issued my formal Declaration of Sovereignty," she answered gravely. "Paper is a bit of an expenditure of my resources. But I'd been rulin' long enough by then that they ought t'have known better."

"We brought 'er Majesty ship scraps, like what the dockers use f'r the cheap sales an' stuff," the girl piped up suddenly. "But they ain't good 'nuf for _important_ writin'."

"Yes, an official declaration ought to be made on good stationary," Empress Kyoko agreed, but she patted the child's hand gently. "But it was a kind thought, Ren, an' I thank you an' the other children for it."

"You see, rulership isn't all a burden," she continued to Tenten and Shino. "This lovely child is one of my personal joys."

The girl blushed, flicking her eyes from Shino's hidden face to Tenten's friendly smile. "'er Majesty saved me'n' m'brother from th' workhouse," she mumbled. "She had 'em shut it down 'cause they were hurtin' us all."

"I do not approve of forced child labor," Kyoko's voice was suddenly flint-hard. "An' a place that pays desperate parents a pittance to sell their children into slavery is an abomination. I told the proprietor that he would, of course, close at once an' remove hisself from my kingdom."

The girl shifted her feet. "An' then Big Dai went an' tol' him if he di'nt close up and get out, he'n' th' docks boys would knock 'is face in and burn down 'is house," she added with just a touch of relish in her voice. "An' I got to be a Lady'n' Waitin'."

"Ren, you know that I do not approve of using threats or coercion," Kyoko corrected her sternly. "An' I told Captain Dai that I was most _displeased_ with his innerference."

"Yes, Majesty," the girl bobbed her head apologetically.

Shino glanced at the darkening sky as the last float of the parade finally disappeared around a corner and the crowd began to disperse. The self-proclaimed Empress was a fascinating person, and conversations with her would doubtless be very interesting, but there was work to do. Shino stepped back, prepared to make a polite exit, but Tenten suddenly gave a deep, respectful bow. "We are honored to meet you, Your Majesty," she said solemnly. "I am Tenten, and this is Shino."

The kikkai in his chest buzzed, reacting to Shino's annoyance. The woman was clearly delusional, and their prey could be boarding an outbound ship at this very moment. He was in no mood for games. But he could tell from the smile on Tenten's face that she liked the old woman, and was all set to play along with her story. Any attempt to break away now would only result in a fight between them, and he was in no mood for that, either.

"Well met, Tenten," Kyoko nodded approvingly. "I see that yer no common travelers," she went on. "Yer clothes an' bearing tells me that yer warriors of some kind. I hope that you have not come to wage war on my kingdom." Her voice was still calm, but there was a steely edge hidden in the words. Shino felt a little jolt of surprise at her uncanny assessment – it was no great feat to see the battle scars on Tenten's hands or to guess at the reason for Shino's hidden features to anyone who was trained to look for those things, but coming from a ragged old civilian woman on the streets, it was…unanticipated.

Tenten's voice, however, held no surprise, only delight as she answered, "We are indeed warriors, Majesty, but I swear to you we have no intentions of bringing any harm to your kingdom or your people."

"Very well," Kyoko replied, and she raised once gnarled hand from her cane to wave commandingly at them. "Then pray tell me yer business in my city."

"That's a long story. A moment, please, your Majesty," Tenten said, bowing again, "that I may confer with my companion."

The old woman nodded. Tenten turned to Shino and muttered. "We should ask for her help."

He stared at her for a long, startled moment, and then said the only word that came to mind. "_Why?_"

"Because she can spread the word to the docks, and get people looking out for the fugitive. He's _dangerous,_ Shino, and if people know that, they won't be inclined to help him. Particularly those that follow her," Tenten jerked her head slightly towards the old woman on her splintered wooden throne.

Shino eyed the mad old lady over Tenten's shoulder. "It won't help," he replied. "Why? Even if she has a fraction of the influence that she claims, any aid she gives will only serve as a warning to the fugitive that we are here."

"She has ties with the ship's captains," Tenten argued softly. "I heard someone talking about Captain Dai earlier today – he's one of the toughest, most respected men in the port. If he's backing her – "

"Which we do not know for sure," Shino interrupted. "We have only her word that he acted on her behalf."

Tenten scowled, then sighed. "I'm inclined to believe her," she said.

_I know_, Shino thought. Of course Tenten admired this strong-willed woman who spoke of responsibility and compassion with such conviction. _What, then, are my options_, he asked himself. One, disagree with Tenten, walk away from the old woman, and deal with Tenten's displeasure. Two, allow Tenten to tell the old woman about the fugitive, and deal with a potentially forewarned prey.

Well, it was likely the fugitive already knew he was being followed, and even a description of their faces would not help him much. Neither shinobi wore their forehead protectors, so his knowledge would be, at best, extremely limited. And Tenten seemed so very set on working with this crazy old lady.

Option Two was the best choice, then. He nodded to Tenten, and her bright, sudden smile sent a little flush of warmth through his heart. _But did I make that decision as a trained shinobi and tactician, _Shino asked himself, watching Tenten turn and walk back happily to the Empress Kyoko, _or as a man in love?_

_I don't know._

"Have you reached an accord with yer companion, Tenten?" The old woman asked imperially.

"Yes, Majesty. We must beg your aid in our mission. We," Tenten's eyes sparkled with just a hint of mischief as she said gravely, "are on a Quest."

* * *

The sun was fully set by the time the street girl Ren lead them to the warehouse. Still, the docks of River City never slept, and the hundreds of bright lanterns hanging from the piers and the fleet of docked ships themselves lit up the streets like noon. The warehouse the Empress had directed them to seek was one of the brightest and busiest of the many stationed around the piers, and Ren had to shout at the big muscled sailor standing guard at the front door to be heard over the noise of the shipyard. "Th' Empress says they're ta talk t' Molo," she yelled in a high, reedy voice.

The guard eyed Shino and Tenten over the child's ragged little head, then shrugged and jerked his head at them as he turned and pushed through the door. Shino glanced at Tenten from the corner of his eye, and she shrugged a 'why not?' at him. Shino could think of a dozen reasons why following the large, heavily scarred man into a windowless building in the middle of the night was not a good idea, but the time for debate was past. He had already committed to doing things Tenten's way.

Inside, a short, thickset man leaned on a much-abused desk, chewing thoughtfully on the end of his pen. He glanced up at them with his one working eye, the other hidden by a neat, green bandage that wound around his head. "The Empress sent ya, hmm?" he said in a deep, gravely voice. "Well, guess I c'n spare a moment for 'er Majesty."

Shino heard the amusement in the seasoned sailor's words (the kikkai were registering too strong a sense of salt, fish, and musty ships to be in any doubt of his occupation, clerk desk or no), but there was just enough attentiveness in his expression to give Shino hope. It was possible that the crazy old lady did have some form of influence here on the docks after all.

"We're looking for this guy," Tenten told him, holding out the fugitive's prison photo. Shino listened to her explain the man's many violent crimes and recent escape with half his attention. The rest he devoted to the kikkai spreading silently throughout the warehouse, watching numerous sailors, clerks, and various others bent to their work. His kikkai had the man's chakra-scent – a reddish-brown jumbled with the smell of old leather and sweat – but the pervasive scent of fish, salt, and oil in the area was strong enough to wash it out. He sent the bugs instead to get close looks at each face, hunting for the fugitive's sharp, pale features. Among the broad features and weather-rough skin of the locals, he ought to stand out fairly well.

"If he's workin' here," Molo said, "then I haven't hired 'im."

Tenten tilted her head at him slightly with a hopeful little smile. Shino wondered briefly if she knew exactly how that expression affected the men around her, or if she did it unconsciously. "But you might know someone who does, right?"

Molo scratched his stubble pensively. "You come from th' Empress, right?"

Shino shifted a larger portion of his attention back to the conversation. The calculating tone of Molo's voice sparked some inner alarm, and he tensed slightly. But Molo merely looked interested, and Shino turned his attention back to the work at hand. He felt a mild stab of annoyance at Tenten's absorbed interest in the crazy woman's life, but let it pass. He was the one who specialized in tracking, after all.

"Empress Kyoko said you could help us," Tenten told Molo. "She said you were an honorable man," she added, smiling a little.

"Well, now," the sailor smiled with crooked teeth. "She's a sweet ol' thing, ain't she? Bit cracked, 'course, but still. She did a good thing for my brother once, so I guess I c'n do a good thing for 'er in turn, eh?"

"Your brother?" Tenten prompted.

"Cap'n Dai of _The Dauntless_," Molo said proudly, thumping his chest. "Best damn fast-hauler in th' River Country, an' Big Dai's th' best damn skipper she's ever had." He pushed open his door and roared out into the noise, "_Izu! Get Big Dai!_ _Move, man!_ But anyway," he said in a more normal voice, turning back to Tenten, "Dai was haulin' upriver a couple years ago, an' his wife Nana got th' coughin' sickness. Ship docs couldn't help 'er, but th' uptown docs _wouldn't_, 'cause they don't deal with th' lowborn," his gravelly voice took on a disgusted note. "Don't matter how rich we are, we don't got _breedin_'." He shrugged his broad shoulders at Tenten's frown. "So poor Nana's getting' sicker, and her kids are all runnin' aroun' the docks tryin' to find some way to get word to Big Dai, an' th' Empress just comes sweepin' in and says that a bunch of th' kids are to follow her, right now please, an' then off she sweeps again."

"Did they go with her?"

"Oh, yeah, followed 'er right up to an uptown doc's door and she had 'em all ranged aroun', singing 'The Seven Virtues' like they teach kids in school. An' when the doc called the law to grab 'er, all the people in the streets kicked up such a fuss about lockin' up an ol' lady singin' songs with kids that they had to unlock 'er right away."

"And the doctor?" Shino could see from Tenten's grin that she was thoroughly enjoying the story, almost as much as Molo seemed to enjoy telling it. He had to admit, it was an interesting story, and it did match with the old woman's remarks earlier. Still, they were still not making any progress towards their goal. Shino scanned through the disbursed kikkai, now filtering out of the warehouse and into the busy streets. A large group of porters were hauling a wagon train of goods towards the ships, and for just a moment one of the kikkai caught a whiff of what might have been old leather. He sent a few dozen of them to follow the wagons, though the distance was staring to strain his focus.

"Well," Molo said, "Doc got such good business from people sayin' they heard about 'im doin' good deeds for the dockers that he came 'round and took care of Nana next day. An' he still comes down, when there's a special case an' th'Empress hears about it. He don't want 'er cloggin' up 'is doorway again, I figure."

"If he's let Nana die, it wouldn't a been his doorway he'd be worried about," an almost identically gravelly voice said from the doorway. Shino nearly jumped, startled by the approach of someone he had not sensed coming. Spread too thin, he thought, calling some of the nearby kikkai back. That was dangerous, but at least Tenten had been at hand to deal with any sudden threat. When she was with him, Shino realized, he generally took higher risks than normal – was that her influence on him, or merely a sign of his unconscious trust in her? He would have to consider that further. Later.

Meanwhile, the newcomer had come over to Tenten and shaken her hand firmly. He eyeballed Shino for a moment, but when the other man made no move to pull his hands from his pockets, settled for a nod instead. Shino gave a distracted nod in return – the small swarm of kikkai he'd sent after the wagon train had just picked up on traces of a familiar scent. They hadn't confirmed it yet, but it was likely the fugitive.

"They're lookin' for a scummer, Dai," Molo said, holding out the picture Tenten had given him. "You know 'is face?"

The scent was definitely the right one, and Shino called in the last of the scattered kikkai out in the streets to converge on the scent. The portion of the hive still with him started to buzz softly in recognition of the hunt. The scent was still heavily washed out by the smells of the docks, but it was just strong enough to be traceable. Moving carefully, his kikkai followed the wisps of scent towards one of the smaller ships.

Big Dai, who was indeed a very large man and had two working eyes (but in all other respected was nearly identical to his brother), examined the fugitive's picture for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah," he grunted. "Ol' Shigo picked up a man who looked a bit like this last week. Signed on for the downriver haul to the Glass Country."

"When are they leaving for that haul?" Tenten asked eagerly.

The scent trail was turning into more of a cloud now, interwoven with the distinct collection of scents that marked an individual ship. _There,_ Shino told the kikkai. _Seek_.

"Shigo pulls port at first light," Dai said. "That's in a couple hours. You'll need fast winds behind ya to catch 'im, missy."

Even with half his mind somewhere else entirely, Shino heard the suppressed grumble in Tenten's voice as she replied politely, "Thank you, sir. Where can we find Captain Shigo?"

"He's on 'is ship, _The Dapper Man."_ Molo pointed towards the docks. "Overseein' the onload, I gamble. It's docked over at - "

"Pier Four," Shino said.

* * *

Shino had no less than a dozen kikkai hidden on the fugitive's clothes and hair by the time Captain Dai led the two shinobi onboard _The Dapper Man_. The fugitive was below the deck, securing the heavy cargo crates with tough leather straps. Shino signaled to Tenten that he had the prey marked and was already siphoning off his energy to cripple him. She nodded slightly, and slipped a hand into her belt pouch where he knew she kept a bola, ready to fling it around his legs should the fugitive attempt to run.

Shino prepared himself to swarm the man, but before he could call out his kikkai, Captain Dai took a deep breath and bellowed, "_SHIGO! Ya got a scummer on yer rig!"_

Immediately a grizzled old sailor up by the wheel leaned over the rail and bellowed back, expression fierce. "_WHAT?!"_

"Oh, great," Shino heard Tenten mutter, mirroring his sentiment exactly.

He came scrambling up the ladder ontot he deck immediately, slamming a surprised sailor out of the way with one shoulder and leaping for the side of the ship. Shino sent a whip of kikkai to catch him, but he somehow twisted wildly in the air and vanished with a splash into the dark river water below. Half a second later, Tenten's body hit the water right behind him. Shino cursed mentally as the water washed away his kikkai and completely blocked the fugitive's scent. He hadn't brought his specially-bred water-resistant kikkai, deeming them unnecessary at the time. Now that Tenten was effectively alone under water with the desperate man, he was sorely regretting it.

The sailors were shouting and running to the side as both captains bellowed questions at each other over the din. Captain Shigo was nearly purple with rage at finding a wanted criminal hiding out on his boat, and both captains had lungs powerful enough to shake the timbers of the ship.

Shino ignored the lot of them, leaping to perch on the jutting mast and searching the dark water. He sent the kikkai swarm skimming over the surface, trying to see down into the murk. The water boiled and thrashed near the side of the ship, and he focused his attention there while the sailors yelled and pointed excitedly.

Suddenly, the water stilled, then a dark-haired figure burst up, splashing and gasping for breath. Tenten, Shino saw, leaping down from his perch and landing on the rail, disregarding the sudden gasps and shouts of the sailors he'd startled by vaulting down from the darkness and landing nearly on their hands.

She had the fugitive hanging limply over her shoulder, but he was weighing her down in the water and he could see her struggle to keep both their heads above water. Quickly, he collapsed the kikkai swarm down into a tightly compressed, buzzing platform, and she gratefully slung the unconscious body onto it. Shino lifted the captive to the deck, leaving him bound with the kikkai as he watched Tenten swiftly climb the rope Captain Dai slung down to her.

The crew backed off respectfully as Tenten hauled herself dripping to the deck. Shino heard them murmuring, some in awe, some in fear at the strangers who had appeared so suddenly on their ship and the unexpected drama they had brought with them. Captain Shigo, however, just seemed angry at the discovered treachery. "Scummer!" he bellowed down at the unresponsive fugitive, ignoring the small pool of water and blood that was starting to lap at his boots. "Lyin' clout! Told me he was tryin' ta get home ta his wife an' kids, willin' ta work for a lift downstream! Probably plannin' to jump ship in Glass an' rob me blind in th' process! _Ingrate!_"

"Are you alright?" Shino asked Tenten under the noise of the furious captain and the various added insults from his crew.

"Wet," she muttered, smiling. "Cold. But fine. It was harder to see him down there than I thought. This water is pretty muddy."

"That was impulsive of you," Shino told her, keeping his voice as carefully neutral as he could. "Moreso than was necessary."

She glared at him with narrowed eyes for a moment, and then sighed. "Yeah, okay, it might have been. A little."

Shino felt the tension release in his chest at her calm reaction to his criticism. "It would appear," he continued, "that your assessment of the old woman's influence was correct. Her influence led us to the fugitive after all."

"Well, I'll skip the 'I told you so,'" she said, winking at him. "Especially since you found him first."

Shino raised an eyebrow at her, but she only snorted. "Like I can't tell when all your attention is miles away. I knew you must have found something to risk stretching yourself out like that in the middle of a crowded building."

"I did not expect that you had noticed," he admitted, as Captain Shigo finally stopped shouting and ordered some of his men to tie up the fugitive with 'real rope' and fetch the doctor for his head wound. "Because you seemed very absorbed in the story about the Empress."

"Oh, that reminds me," Tenten said, wringing out the tail of her soaked shirt. "After I dry off and we get Numbnuts over there packaged up for the trip back to prison, there's something we should do."

"So you found yer criminal, I hear," the Empress of River City tapped her cane thoughtfully on the packed dirt of the alleyway.

"Yes, Majesty," Tenten smiled. "And in gratitude for your help, I'd like to present you with this." She held out a flat rectangular box to the old woman, who nodded to Ren. The girl carefully took the box from Tenten and opened it, gasping a little at the contents. She turned and showed the box to the old woman, who in turn smiled at Tenten, her many fine wrinkles creasing her face with pleasure.

"That, Warrior Tenten, is a very fine set of stationary," she said. "An' I thank you for it with all my heart."

"Look, Majesty, there's even some special pens an' inks!" Ren said excitedly.

"And the box can be turned into a desk," Tenten added, gesturing to the hinges on the side of the cleverly worked wooden surface. "Look, you twist it here, and these bits become little legs to balance on your lap."

"You c'n write yer Declaration, Majesty!" Ren exclaimed, setting the portable desk on Kyoko's lap. "An' all those letters to th' Council an' th' papers an' everythin'!"

"A fine gift," the Empress repeated softly. Abruptly, she looked up at Shino, who once again resisted the urge to defend himself against the scrutiny. "It is a beautiful an' valuable thing," she said, and Shino knew that she was not simply speaking about the box. "An' it ought to be treasured."

Tenten glanced back, a puzzled smile on her face. Shino looked at her for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed to the seated woman on her splintered throne. "Yes, it is," he agreed, "Your Majesty."

Tenten blinked at him, but Shino simply stuck his hands back in his pockets and stepped back, leaving her facing a smiling Kyoko. "Right," she muttered, then said in a louder voice, "It's time for us to go, then, Your Majesty. We have a long trip ahead of us."

"Farewell, Warrior Tenten an' Warrior Shino," the Empress said grandly, one hand raised in blessing. "An' may th' wind flow swift behind you."

**

"I certainly wasn't planning to meet any royalty on this mission."

"It will be a story to tell your children, someday."

"…children?"

**


	26. Ever After

Notes: I originally meant to have some more stuff happen before this chapter, but I got a little (okay, a lot) siderailed by RL…so I figured it was this, or just let it hang forever. I hope it's not too rushed or too boring or anything.

Goals: I have a confession: one of my major goals for this story once it stopped being simply a series of short fight scenes between improbable matchups was to write a romance that was not a soap opera. I wanted drama, but not melodrama. I'm hoping this chapter fits with that goal, because if it does, then I may perhaps have validated that goal in all the ones that came before.

Warnings: Rated E for Everyone.

* * *

**Chapter 25**

**Happily Ever After**

**Or, You Know, Not**

"And then she tried to bite Shino's ear off," Tenten concluded.

It was a good thing she was getting so good at interpreting Aburame reactions, she figured, or she would have felt really awkward at the lack of laughter at the table after her story. Instead, she heard the series of small shuffling noises and low amused grunts or even a suppressed snicker down the table. Beside her, Shino grumbled something into his tea cup that Tenten couldn't catch, but his father chuckled a little louder than the others and nodded to his disgruntled son.

"I had the strong suspicion that young Sasaki Ima would be given to Inuzaka Kiba in his new genin team. He is probably the only available jounin instructor who could teach her discipline without forcing her to give up her wild ways entirely."

"He has a great deal of work ahead of him," Shino said, his composure recovered.

Tenten flashed him a grin. "Oh, I dunno, it looked to me like he was doing a pretty good job. I mean, I heard she bit her last Academy instructor's hand bad enough to need stitches. You just got chewed on a little. I call that improvement."

"If the Council wished the genin to improve her social graces, Kiba was then the worst choice," Shino responded. "Why? Consider his reaction to Sasaki Ima's actions today."

"Okay, yeah, but admit it, it was pretty funny. I was laughing too. I'm sure he'll talk to her about it later. She's a good kid, under all the teeth and bad attitude."

Shino opened his mouth to respond, but Shibi looked up from his meal suddenly and said, "Children can be a great blessing, can they not, Fujita?"

An older Aburame man from a few places down the grand table nodded. "Indeed, Honored Kao, they bring great joy and credit to a family." Tenten jumped a little, because for just a moment she had thought the speaker was looking right at her, as if he meant the words for her benefit. But then the older gentleman had turned his head and was murmuring something to the woman next to him.

Tenten's attention abruptly shifted back to Shino as she felt his fingers tense up in her hand under the table. His shoulders had turned into a hard line under his jacket, and she could just barely feel the faint buzz of agitated kikkai in his leg where it brushed against hers. Tenten blinked, startled by his sudden apparent shift in mood. From the significant way that he refused to look up at any of his family members, she got the impression that Shibi had just taken some sort of dig at him, and he definitely dind't like it.

"Of course," another Aburame said, "children also represent a great responsibility." Tenten tried not to stare, but she could have definitely sworn that he had also flashed a quick look at her before turning back to his meal…but well, he was kind of far down the table and she could be wrong. Why would they be directing these remarks at her anyway? _She _didn't have a new genin team to train.

"A responsibility for the entire family," Shibi agreed, setting down his rice bowl and folding his arms thoughtfully. "But if one has a good support net and the season is right, then the burden is not so great."

"Season?" Tenten asked, feeling a little lost in the conversation.

"As with insect colonies," Shibi tapped his glasses back into place with one finger. "For example: the standard reproductive cycle of the termite colony is carefully and precisely timed to coincide with the most prolific and fortuitous season."

"But when that season arrives," a female Aburame said from further down the table, "they must act quickly, before circumstances become less favorable."

_Wait a second_, Tenten realized. _They're not looking at _me.

So…it was apparently time for the Aburame heir to make his marriage contract and carry on the family legacy. Tenten bit her tongue, flooded by a multitude of conflicting emotions. They were telling him it was time to get married, weren't they? Time to get married, and have kids, and maybe start taking on the mantle of leadership in his clan. There was no way Shino didn't know exactly what was going on here.

_And he hasn't said a word._

Tenten glanced down at her hand tucked into his long fingers and resisted the urge to bite her lip. Why hadn't he said anything? He didn't look terribly happy about the subject under discussion, but if he objected to it so much, why wasn't he saying anything? One of those cutting little remarks that sounded innocuous but shut the conversation down completely? He was _good _at those, she knew from experience. So…so not ending the conversation meant that he knew he…shouldn't. _Even if he doesn't like it, _Tenten thought with a sudden twist of her stomach, _he knows it's true_.

_But he doesn't want to, and since I know he liked being with me, then maybe…maybe he knows that they don't…when they're talking about getting married and having kids and stuff…_

_They don't mean with me._

In her lap, Shino began tracing slow, soothing circles on her palm with his thumb, and Tenten realized that she had tensed up herself, clamping down on his hand in a panic. She forced herself to relax, knowing that there was no need to panic; at least, not yet. _Chill out_, she scolded herself; _you know his father and grandfather like you. Maybe you've got this all wrong. Maybe he's mad about something else._

Maybe he just didn't want to get married, ever. Or…something. Maybe this whole thing was really about something entirely different, like how Shino didn't apply for a genin team either or maybe there's some big political thing going on in the clan I haven't heard about or –

"Grandson," Katsu said suddenly from the other end of the table, where he had been sitting quietly all evening.

"Grandfather," Shino acknowledged, raising his head from where he had been scowling down at his food and facing his elder.

Katsu looked up from his tea, deep-lined face serene around his glinting lenses. "I am getting old, and I want great-grandchildren." He raised his cup and waved it once imperiously in Tenten's direction. "Get on with it," he said, and calmly sipped the tea.

There was utter silence until Tenten burst into laughter.

* * *

"You don't have to, you know."

He looked up at her sharply, but Tenten merely smiled a little. "You don't have to marry me," she clarified. "I know your family is on you to get settled and carry on the bloodline and all. But you don't have to commit to me because you just happen to be dating me when they start pressuring you. It's a big choice. It's _your_ choice."

Shino did not immediately respond. Around them, the shadows of the evening lengthened as they stood outside the main Aburame gates. Tenten admired the way the last red rays of sunset lit up the roofs and turned the sky a deep purple color, and waited patiently.

"It is not only my choice," he said at last.

Tenten whipped her head around and glared at him. "Yeah, it is. Look, I know I don't know much about clan politics or families - "

His eyebrows drew down and she could tell from the tense set of his shoulders that he was frowning, but she waved a hand dismissively, "Hey, I'm just saying I don't have any experience dealing with that stuff. But I still believe, no matter what, it's not your family's decision." She emphasized the last words carefully, hoping she wasn't being insulting or ignorant. "It's your life, your choice, and _you're_ the one signing the contract."

"I was not referring to my family," he replied.

"Oh." Now it was Tenten's turn to frown. "Wait, what? Then who_ are _you referring to?"

Shino glanced towards the walls of his home. Without answering, he pushed off the wall and started walking slowly down the street.

Tenten hurried to catch up, then moved quietly at his side. It was kind of funny how she had started assimilating certain behaviors around him, she thought after a moment. A couple years ago, had he made some cryptic statement like 'It's not my choice but it's not anyone else's' or whatever he was trying to say here, she probably would have pestered the heck out of him until he clarified. Or at least rambled on out loud what she thought he probably meant until, by virtue of elimination, she figured it out.

But now she just walked alongside and waited for him to answer in his own good time. He would, eventually. That was one of her favorite aspects of his character: he never left a question unanswered.

"What is the basis of a commitment?" He asked at last. Tenten waited a moment, but this one was directed at her, it seemed.

"Well, a commitment is when someone decides they're going to do something, and then they do it." She smiled at him. "I should know. My team is full of commitment junkies." He seemed to be waiting for more. Tenten thought hard for a moment. "Okay, so if commitment in general is a personal agreement, then marriage is an agreement between two people." Sudden comprehension dawned, and Shino nodded as he saw her realize what he had been driving at.

"It is a choice that I could not truly make on my own," he agreed. "At least, not anymore."

She sighed. "Dang it, you lost me again."

"How many marriages into the Aburame clan are arranged? Most of them are. Therefore, the decision to marry is a purely individual one, usually made for the sake of clan stability and the progression of our bloodline."

"I get it. Marriage is a resource for money, connections, and the next generation of shinobi, right?" He stared at her for a moment, and she shrugged. "I have a Hyuuga on my team, too, you know."

"Hm. Indeed."

Well, it made sense. Powerful the Aburame may be, but people weren't lining up in the streets to marry one as far as Tenten could see. So unless it was one of those arranged-at-birth deals she'd heard about, an Aburame typically got hitched by waking up one day, saying 'well, I think it's about time to make some babies,' and then hunting down some suitably wealthy and genetically compatible bachelor or bachelorette and drawing up a contract. It was, in some ways, purely an individual decision.

"Alright, so your clan typically views marriage as a business transaction. I'm not saying it's great, but it's practical and it's hardly a unique practice. Even the smaller shinobi clans do that kind of thing. Gotta keep the bloodline going and all." She looked up at him as they passed over a small bridge leading away from the Aburame complex and towards the outer walls of Konoha. "Is that what you meant by 'not anymore'?"

Shino nodded. It was definitely dark now, and the moon wouldn't rise for another hour or so. Even so, she could see well enough to catch the movement. Shino stopped walking abruptly, and Tenten slowed and stopped a few steps further on, turning back to face him in the dark. "All my life," he said slowly, as if he were reluctant to speak the words, "I have believed that I would marry whoever my clan chose, that she could likely be a total stranger, and that such an arrangement would be satisfactory to me."

"But now you've changed your mind?"

"I do not desire a life-long commitment to an unwilling party."

Tenten laughed softly. "Sounds reasonable. Nobody wants someone who doesn't want them in return. It's just not fair."

"No," he replied. "But fairness is perhaps one of the most difficult goals to achieve in any relationship. Why? Because it requires finding someone who not only compliments your personal qualities, but who is also willing to put up with your personal evils."

Tenten tilted her head, not fully liking the dark shade in his tone. "Clarify that one, please?"

"For example," he replied readily, pulling one hand from deep within his pocket and reaching up to pluck a long-legged spider from a nearby fence. "I am a powerful shinobi with a unique bloodline limit that allows me to control, or at least communicate with creatures such as this." He held the spider in his palm under the streetlamp light so Tenten could see it clearly. The spider sat calmly in the middle of his palm, seeming to regard her in kind.

"Okay," she said. "So you want someone also powerful and unique to match you. Got it." She blinked up at him innocently. "Are extra spiders optional, or is that more of a requirement?"

His eyebrows drew down at her in mild impatience, a sign that he was very intent on making this point and a little frustrated that she wasn't focusing on the task at hand. She sighed and gestured for him to continue. "However," he continued solemnly, "this ability is not necessarily ingratiating to the general public." The spider suddenly scuttled forward in his hand, running up his long fingers towards Tenten, and she had to resist her initial impulse to lean back.

"So she can't be freaked out by your kikkai and so on, sure," Tenten interpreted, proud that she'd managed not to twitch. "I think it's a given that no one wants to marry someone who is permanently weirded out by their partner."

"It is not merely a matter of dealing with this aspect of my life or abilities," Shino said sharply, and Tenten realized that he didn't feel he was making her understand what he really wanted her to understand. She felt a vague rush of exasperation herself. If he was going to be obscure, then he had no right to get tetchy with her for not being able to interpret the subtext.

"Okay, then _what_? What else are you talking about if not a lack of bug-fear?"

"I am not known to be a personable or overtly friendly individual," Shino said.

"Yeah, you're a contained person," she replied. "But you've got plenty of friends and a great family. So you must be doing something right."

"I can be curt, even cold, when I am angry or hurt, or if I deem that behavior justified," he continued, almost as if she had not spoken.

"So?" Tenten shook her head, bewildered by the turn of events. "I can be a jerk sometimes too. But I've never seen you be downright cruel or vicious or anything. So what's your point?"

"I am intelligent, and logical," he forged on, "which does, on occasion, make me a stubborn about my opinions, because I know that many of mine are solid and well reasoned."

"Yeah, you can be a mule," she agreed, folding her arms. They stood facing one another in the suddenly tense evening air, and Tenten wondered if they were having a fight and she hadn't caught on yet. "It's frustrating sometimes. Particularly when you're being an obscure, confusing mule that makes seemingly random comments."

"Yes," he agreed.

Tenten raised an eyebrow at him. "Am I supposed to be warned off, or something?"

He raised one right back at her. "Are you?"

She snorted. "Please. You occasionally annoy the hell out of me, but I happen to _like_ your personality, Shino." She unfolded her arms and propped one hand on her hip, the other tapping her kunai pouch meaningfully. "I have from the start, or I wouldn't have spent as much time kicking your ass."

He digested that for a moment, then took a small step towards her, closing the distance. "You have been a formidable opponent."

"You bet your bugs I have," she shot back. "And anyway, it's not like you haven't been gracious about all my quirks, too."

"Have I?"

"Yeah." Now it was her turn to step forward a little; they were only about a foot apart. "I mean, when I get giddy about, you know, silly things, or irrationally worked up over stupid stuff, or whatever. You always tell me when I'm being retarded, which admittedly isn't always what I want to hear at the time, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate you caring enough to say it."

"I am...glad to hear that."

"You oughta be," she reached up one hand to tilt his glasses down slightly, just enough that he could look at her over the lenses. "And as long as we're on the subject of personal faults, let's not forget to mention that I am not as logical as you, and not always as confident, so if you're arrogant, I'm self-doubting, which is way worse. It makes me..." she hesitated, but there was really no other word for it. "...weaker."

"I disagree," he said quietly, "and I wonder why you say it. Am I supposed to be," he was closer now, close enough that she could feel his breath brush her cheek lightly as he spoke, "warned off?"

"Are you?"

"No."

"Well then."

"Hm."

Tenten shifted her weight, leaning up to kiss him. Just as her lips touched his, however, he spoke again. "It would appear," he murmured, "that we are fairly matched."

"Mm," she hummed in reply, exasperation rising again.

"Perhaps," he continued as she leaned in again, "moreso than I previously thought."

Tenten groaned and threw up her hands, dropping back to her heels and glaring at him. "Great. So, we getting married then, or what?"

Shino considered this for a long moment. "I'm okay with it," he replied. "If you are."

They stood staring at each other in the dim streetlights. For a long moment, the only sound was the soft rush of the wind in the nearby trees. Then Tenten put her hands back on her hips and glared.

"That," she said severely, "is the worst proposal I have ever even _heard _of."

"Would you like me to try again?"

"Later," she sighed, flapping a hand dismissively. "When you've had time to think about it," she added. "If you still want to."

He reached out, caught her waving hand, and twined her fingers in his. "I will not change my mind," Shino's voice sounded almost admonishing. Then his tone lightened a little. "I am a committing type of guy."

She laughed. "You know, I kind of had you pegged as one."

* * *

"I think this is the point where the movies typically end."

"Is it?"

"Yep. Big dramatic moment, then curtain down, The End, roll credits."

"Why?"

"I dunno. Seems to me like we're just getting to the good parts."


End file.
